PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AWARDS U.S. ARMY PERSONNEL FOR HUMANITARIAN
OPERATIONS AND CIVIC ACTION IN MINDANAO
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On 07 January 2010, while representing the Philippine Ambassador to the United States and the Philippine
Government, Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attaché B/Gen. Antonio Supnet presented the Philippine
Military Civic Action Medal to fifteen members of Charlie Company of the U.S. Army’s 97th Civil Affairs Battalion
based in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The medals were awarded to members of Charlie Company by Lt./Gen.
Benjamin Dolorfino of Western Mindanao Command and Lt./Gen. Raymundo Ferrer of the Eastern Mindanao
Command for meritorious effort and achievement in the conduct of various humanitarian and civic action
activities in Mindanao in cooperation with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and local government units in the
area of operations.
Members of the 97th Civil Affairs Battalion who were deployed to the Philippines with the U.S. Joint Special
Operations Task Force-Philippines stationed in Zamboanga worked closely with their Philippine counterparts
and in cooperation with local authorities in building schools, wells and health centers, and in conducting
medical, dental and veterinary missions to remote villages and areas in Mindanao. In the past 9 months, 41
schools were built, countless wells drilled and thousands of Filipinos in remote villages were given medical
and dental care.
Commenting on the recognition given to these American servicemen by the Philippine Government, Philippine
Ambassador to the United States Willy C. Gaa said, “As our two countries work closely together in pursuit of
common security objectives and shared objectives of attaining peace and stability in the region, the Philippine
Government wanted to acknowledge the valuable service and contribution of our allies, particularly the individual
soldiers who are instrumental to the effectiveness and success of our efforts to bring stability and security in
Mindanao.”
Ambassador Gaa further explained that this gesture by the Philippine Government also aims to highlight the
effectiveness and bring attention to the value of humanitarian and civic action operations to the over-all security
strategy of the Philippine Government in its fight against terrorism in Southern Philippines. Ambassador Gaa
noted that, “Civic action and humanitarian operations of the type conducted by the Armed Forces of the
Philippines and the U.S. Army’s 97th Civil Affairs Battalion are key components to a holistic approach to
counterterrorism that involves the complementary use of hard and soft power and has been proven by
numerous successes our Government has achieved in Mindanao in partnership with our U.S. allies in recent
years. It is only fitting and proper that due recognition and acknowledgement should be accorded to those who
make significant contributions to the over-all success of this effort and strategy.” END.
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B/Gen Mark Supnet, Philippine Defense and Armed Forces Attaché with Lt./Gen. John F.
Mulholland, Jr. the Commander of the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Command
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B/Gen Supnet awarding the Philippine Military Civic Action Medal to members of Charlie
Company of the U.S. Army’s 97th Civil Affairs Battalion.
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Statement by the Office of the Press Secretary on the passing away of Secretary Cerge
M. Remonde
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The Office of the Press Secretary wishes to announce, with profound sorrow, that Secretary Cerge M. Remonde
succumbed to a heart attack shortly before noon today at the Makati Medical Center. He was 51 years old.
Earlier this morning, the Secretary was discovered unconscious in the bathroom of his residence in Makati. He
was brought to Makati Medical where efforts were made to revive him, but to no avail. The news of his passing
was first broken by the Executive Secretary, Eduardo Ermita, at the hospital premises.
Secretary Cerge leaves behind his wife, Mrs. Marit Remonde, who is presently en route to Manila by private
plane from his home in Cebu. His remains will lie in state at the Heritage Memorial Park in Fort Bonifacio,
pending final disposition by his wife upon her arrival here.
Cerge Remonde traced his roots to Argao, Cebu where he grew up. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree,
magna cum laude, from the University of the Visayas in Cebu City. Later he took up Cooperation and
Development Studies at the Afro-Asia Institute in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1986, and also attended an International
Visitors Program hosted by the US State Department in Washington, DC in 1992.
From his initial days as a radio reporter and commentator, Cerge carved out a distinguished career in radio,
television, and print. He served as anchor of the highly-rated DYLA Interaction, a primetime show that set the
benchmark for public affairs programming. He was also the first ever to rise from the ranks of provincial
reporters to become the national chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), a position
that he held for an unprecedented six terms.
In January 2001, only three days after President Arroyo first took office, Cerge Remonde was appointed Press
Undersecretary in charge of broadcast. In 2004, he was named head of the Government Mass Media Group
(GMMG), a Cabinet-level position which oversees all the various government owned media entities. He also
served concurrently as Lead Convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.
In October 2006, Cerge Remonde was appointed to head the Presidential Management Staff, and in February
2009, he was named the Press Secretary to the President. Among the many positions he held concurrently, he
served as senior adviser to the GRP-NDF Peace Panel, commissioner of the Communications Committee of
UNESCO, and chairman of the Advertising Board of the Philippines, the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists,
and the Appeals Board of the MTRCB.
Secretary Remonde was lavished with many awards and distinctions, among them the Most Outstanding
Visayanian in the field of Mass Media in 1998, and, together with former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr, the Most
Outstanding Cebuano in 1999.
But as any one of his multitude of friends and admirers well knows, it was their friendship and high regard that
he valued most highly. This esteem was something that in turn was given easily to a man with his admirable
qualities—professionalism at work, solicitude for the plight of others, loyalty to his President and to the high
ideals of public service, and most of all, devotion to his Church and to his God.
Secretary Cerge Remonde will be sorely missed by his colleagues, his friends, and all who grieve his passing
today, even as he will continue to be an inspiration to them and a shining example of a life well-lived in the
service of his fellow man and for the greater glory of the Creator above.
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PGMA urges traders to ‘go green’
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President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stressed today that environmental protection and economic growth can co-
exist side by side as she called on businesses to ‘go green.”
In her keynote address at the first-ever Coral Triangle Initiative Business Summit at the Makati Shangri-La Hotel,
the President said it is now time to put an end to the traditional thinking that businesses choose either
economic growth or environmental protection.
“We want to infect business throughout the world that business can thrive not despite of but because of some
environmental practices,” the President told leaders of the seafood, marketing, tourism and travel industries
who attended the meeting.
The Coral Triangle, as noted by the President covers a vast area of some six million kilometers and washes the
shores of seven countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, the Philippines,
and Brunei Darussalam. It is home to 80 percent of the known coral species.
“It is imperative for us to work to protect this shared coastal resource,” the President said.
She stressed that saving the Coral Triangle is as profitable as saving the world from pollution caused by
burning fossil fuel.
“I call on you today to join a new breed of businessmen,” the President said. “I invite you to take a look at the
opportunities for environmentally sound business opportunities in the countries that comprise the Coral
Triangle.”
She said there is no other way for businessmen to go but green
“We worked hard to create a Green Philippines, to ensure that environmental protection does not take a
backseat to the economy,” she said.
The President then called on developed countries to take responsibility for the damage they cause the
environment by their carbon emissions.
The two-day summit is hosted by the Philippine Government and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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Gov’t execs, media members troop to Makati Med
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From the huge crowd gathered at the main entrance of Makati Medical Center, including members of the
Malacañang Press Corps and high government officials, people could sense that something big was afoot.
Seen among the people milling around were Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, Presidential Counsel for
Election Matter Romulo Makalintal, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, Secretary Ricardo Saludo, Press
Undersecretary Romeo Junia, Assistant Secretary Maribel Dario, and senatorial aspirant Rey Langit.
Press Secretary Cerge Remonde had been rushed earlier to the hospital after he was found unconscious in his
house in Bel-Air, Makati City, an apparent victim of heart attack.
Ermita told reporters that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had already been informed of the press secretary’s
demise.
“I could not say her exact reaction, but she was silent, apparently shocked,” Ermita said. “Definitely she will
prepare a special honor for him,”
The Malacañang Press Corps members, including Marie Peña Ruiz of Radyo ng Bayan with whom Remonde
used to hold regular Saturday interviews on DZRB, could not hold back their tears. Reporters of private and
government radio stations and television channels felt the same. Most were of the opinion that the death was “a
great loss to the Arroyo administration and to the Philippines.”
“He was a very dedicated civil servant, prayerful, humble in so many ways and always jolly even under
pressure,” were the usual remarks heard among them.
For his part, Junia said Remonde was planning to host a party on Feb. 1 to mark his one year as press
secretary, a belated birthday blowout (he turned 51 last Dec. 21) and Christmas party.
“He was to start the day with a mass at the nearest church, either San Miguel or St. Jude, and then treat the gang
to a merienda cena at the grounds of the New Executive Building,” he said.
The Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas, an organization he headed for more than a decade, held,
during its private lunch meeting, a silent prayer on hearing of his death.
His last entry to his Facebook site, as noted by Pena-Ruiz, is a prayer. She said he was fond of posting prayers
he himself wrote and passages from the bible. The prayer, posted at past 6 p.m. yesterday, is as follows:
“Lord, thank you for your infinite love that meets our every need and provides all the beautiful and wonderful
things we experience in life. Release our hearts and minds from fear and worry. Fill us with your peace as we
learn to fully trust in your providence. Help us to do all that we are capable of and the rest we entrust unto you.
Amen.”
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