Ambassador Francis J. Ricciardone’s Remarks

Cornerstone Laying Ceremony of the Army-Navy Memorial Project

Philippine Military Academy
October 23, 2004

Magandang umaga General Abaya, General Balaoing, General Fernandez, Commodore Agustin, President of the National Defense College of the Philippines, Mr. Syjuco, President of the West Point Society of the Philippines, Mr. Mayor, Cadets, distinguished guests, and friends of the Philippine Military Academy. I am honored to join you today to celebrate the 106th Philippine Military Academy Foundation Anniversary and lay the cornerstone of the Army-Navy Memorial Project.

I came for a specific purpose: to demonstrate American support for the values you teach, and our recognition of the importance of your success in that vital mission for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and for your country. So important is PMA’s success in that mission, in fact, that U.S. Marine Corps General John Allen, of the Office of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld, has come to Baguio to join us today. General Allen is the former Commandant of the U.S. Naval Academy, and therefore understands your challenges and high purpose as few others can.

“Duty, Honor, Country -- those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be.” As many of you know -- particularly General Abaya and the other West Point graduates in the audience -- General Douglas MacArthur spoke those words in 1962 during his farewell address to the West Point Corps of Cadets. I am reminded of MacArthur’s words because I joined your President in Leyte only three days ago, in commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Allied liberation of the Philippines.

The Philippine Military Academy’s motto of “Courage, Integrity, and Loyalty” similarly encapsulates the proud heritage and vital mission of our military academies. This monument honoring graduates of West Point and Annapolis who helped shape this institution will serve as a lasting reminder of our shared history.

So long as there are military leaders upholding high standards and values, the Philippine Military Academy must and will continue to epitomize the finest traditions of national service. Today, it bears the standards of character founded on honor, commitment to the country above all else, and fortified by discipline and courage. But we know that when leaders in any organization, in any country, preach such lofty values, only to tolerate subversion of them by those who should exemplify them, what we really sow among the rising generation is a deadly cynicism.

Therefore, those of us who cherish the values of PMA and the American Service Academies who are PMA’s closest cousins, can take heart from the response of President Arroyo, of the Armed Forces, of the Congress, and even of the media, to what otherwise would most profoundly undermine Filipino and American confidence not only in the AFP, but also in Philippines’ democracy itself. The AFP has said it will vigorously investigate allegations of corruption within its ranks, and punish all those found guilty. We are heartened likewise by President Arroyo's forceful expressions of commitment to root out corruption within the military and other institutions of government.

Beyond the response of the Government to the current individual case, most encouraging is the program jointly launched by Presidents Arroyo and Bush last year to address systemic problems in the AFP.

The Philippine Defense Reform (PDR) initiative, which General Allen discussed only yesterday with Secretary of National Defense Cruz, commits the U.S. to support the AFP’s reform and modernization so that it can better confront the security challenges of today and of the future. The PDR is a comprehensive, multi-year program involving legislative, policy, and organizational change to improve training, procurement, finance, and information management so that your military will perform to its highest potential. It aims to greatly improve transparency and accountability in all operations and at all levels, top to bottom. I know Secretary of National Defense Cruz will come here next month to describe this campaign in detail to you cadets, who will be the first generation to carry forward these historic reforms.

As we lay this cornerstone, we Americans and Filipinos alike remember our academies’ shared tradition to serve as institutions of excellence and professionalism, dedicated to selfless and courageous service to our nations. And for all our loyalty to our proud institutions of learning, and for all the bonds of brotherhood to our classmates, we each know it is to our countries, to our constitutions, and to our two allied peoples that we owe our first and highest duty.

Thank you once again for inviting me to participate in today’s celebration. Congratulations to the alumni associations who have come together to make this monument possible. And I wish great courage and honor to the cadets who will carry these traditions forward, and to the AFP leadership that must uphold them everyday.

Maraming salamat at mabuhay.

 

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