The country's top military officer is now an honorary member of the Philippine Navy's (PN) elite special operations forces, the Naval Special Operations Command (NAVSOCOM) or Navy SEAL (sea, air, land).
In a statement Sunday, Nov. 20, the NAVSOCOM said it conducted honorary SEAL rites for Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), at their headquarters in Sangley Point, Cavite City.
Bacarro – who donned the SEAL's distinctive khaki shorts, brown shirt and swimming boots – participated in various evolutions with the Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUDS) Course Class 85 last Nov. 17.
This included warm-up exercises, 500-meter boat paddling and swimming, a one-mile run, firing of 45 caliber pistol, M4 rifle, M60 machine gun, and M110 sniper rifle which was capped off with a demolition shot.
Commodore Alfonspin Tumanda Jr., NAVSOCOM commander, pinned the SEAL badge on Bacarro in a ceremony witnessed by senior PN officers and NAVSOCOM personnel.
"This ceremony represents the foundation of a strong bond between the honorary member and the class he will be joining and most especially his membership with NAVSOCOM. This day marks the beginning of his recognition and identity as an Honorary SEAL member," Tumanda said.
Bacarro then graced the graduation ceremony of the BUDS Class 85 and SEAL Qualification Training (SQT) Class 13 as guest of honor and speaker.
The NAVSOCOM is a special Navy command whose members cover all facets of unconventional warfare using unorthodox methods such as demolition, intelligence, and underwater operations. They are mostly involved in counter-terrorism operations against the fiercest hostile forces in the country, and is the counterpart of the United States Navy SEALs.
Meanwhile, BUDS are volunteers who have overcome what is regarded as one of the toughest military trainings in the AFP. The tadpoles (trainees) are tested physically, mentally, and emotionally to overcome their own breaking points until they evolve into a frogman if they pass the tests.
The SQT, on the other hand, is a six-month training pipeline that a SEAL Operator aspirant gets through after graduating from BUDS. It trains an individual soldier to become extraordinary in strength, skills, and knowledge that makes graduates of this training as capable in Special Warfare Operations at sea, on air, and land.