Rear Admiral Adeluis Bordado has been appointed by President Duterte as the new and 39th Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy (PN), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) confirmed Tuesday, June 8.
Bordado replaced Vice Adm. Giovanni Carlo Bacordo who is set to retire from the service on Tuesday. The change of command and retirement ceremony will be held at 4:30 p.m. at the PN Headquarters in Manila.
Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is expected to grace the ceremony.
Bordado is the incumbent PN vice commander, the second highest position in the Navy. He hails from Camarines Sur and is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Maringal" Class of 1988.
AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Cirilito Sobejana welcomed the designation of Bordado, whom he described as an "accomplished naval officer who through the different command, leadership, management, and staff positions" both in the PN and AFP.
"He particularly distinguished himself in the fields of operations, intelligence, information technology, budget, planning, and education and training," Sobejana said of Bordado.
Bordado also previously served the PN in different capacities. These include being the chief of naval staff and commander of the AFP Education, Training, and Doctrine Command, among others.
According to Sobejana, Bordado's designation came at a time when the PN "is vigorously pursuing its modernization program that includes acquisition programs for surface and sub-surface assets."
"The wealth of his experience, his well-rounded education and training locally and abroad, and his personal attributes make him an excellent choice to lead the Philippine Navy at this time that the AFP faces various internal and external security challenges," Sobejana added.
Bordado's first command-at-sea was BRP FORT SAN FELIPE (AM-700). Afterwards, he skippered RPS EXPLORER, a survey ship of Service Force, Philippine Fleet. He completed his sea tour as the Commanding Officer of BRP RAJAH HUMABON (PF-11), the former flagship of the Philippine Navy.
Bordado is happily married to Dr. Ma. Ruth, a physician-psychiatrist and they are blessed with their only son, Adeluis Antovic Jr.