Filipino air force officers make history in Korea, Japan military schools

MANILA, Philippines - Two Air Force officers have made history when they graduated from prestigious military schools in East Asia.

2Lt. Rex Eduard Custorio became the first Filipino to study and graduate from the Korea Air Force Academy in Cheongju, Chungbuk. 

Karen Eve Mante, meanwhile, holds the distinction of being the first Filipino female graduate of the National Defense Academy in Kanagawa, Japan.

Custorio, who entered the PMA in 2010, said he wanted to become a soldier because the job would allow him to influence others in a positive way.

“I have to rise from the ranks and in due time, if I am already in a high position, I can influence people,” he told The STAR in a phone interview on Wednesday.

Despite his young age, the 23-year-old Custorio has a noble aim for the Philippine armed forces.

When asked what his vision is for the military, he replied: “I want it to be recognized worldwide as a force to reckon with, a force that can protect the Philippines from any harm.”

Custorio is aware of the dangers that accompany his profession but believes that something is not worth doing if it does not entail risks.

Meanwhile, Mante took her oath as Air Force officer in a ceremony at the Philippine Embassy in Tokyo last Monday.

Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manuel Lopez administered the oath-taking and donning of rank of second lieutenant to Mante, one of the first two foreign female graduates of the National Defense Academy.

In a speech she delivered before Philippine embassy officials, Mante said she was initially hesitant to accept the scholarship to Japan because it would involve more years of study.

The female officer, however, decided to accept it “because opportunity knocks only once.”

Mante was awarded outstanding cadet and was also given a badge for excellence in physical training. The graduation ceremony of her batch of 492 graduates was held last March 22 at the academy’s compound and was attended by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

A native of Davao, Mante spent a year in PMA before being sent to the academy as a full scholar. She spent five years of cadet training in the academy, which has been producing officers for the Japanese military since 1953.