Upholding territorial integrity and maintaining peace in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) are among the primary focus of the newly-installed Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy (PN, FOIC).

Rear Adm. Toribio Adaci Jr. assumed as the 40th PN, FOIC on Thursday, Nov. 24, succeeding Rear Adm. Caesar Bernard Valencia, who served as FOIC in an acting capacity since Sept. 9.

The Change of Command ceremony was presided by Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), at the PN headquarters in Manila.

Adaci, erstwhile commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao, is the first PN, FOIC to serve for a fixed term of three years as set by Republic Act No. 11709, a new law prescribing a fixed tour of duty for military officials who hold key positions.

In his assumption speech, Adaci said the PN is “in a crucial point” in its 124 years of existence and history since it is now past being a legacy Navy while operating amid the Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with the increasing tension in the South China Sea.

“As your Navy, we are directly involved in preserving and protecting our country’s maritime interest. We will adhere to and stand with the position of our Commander in Chief regarding our rights in the West Philippine Sea and the seas all over our archipelago,” Adaci said, referring to Marcos’ State of the Nation Address (SONA) remark back in July that the government will not cede even an inch of the country’s territory to any foreign nation.

“We will protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity at all times,” he promised.

Adaci made the remark a few days after China Coast Guard seized a rocket debris from the PN in Pagasa Island, a maritime incident that sparked new tension between the two countries.

To achieve his goal of protecting WPS, Adaci said among his priority thrusts include the modernization not only of the PN’s assets and equipment but also of the “mindset” of the personnel.

“Bear in mind that when we strengthen the competence of our personnel through training, we expect the sailors and marines to have an increased faculty and technical aptitude in their respective fields of specialization now and in the future,” he said.

“Instruction materials provided to our navy personnel must also contain components that consider the quickly changing security environment and the shifting nature of war and conflict,” he added.

He also puts premium in the rationalization of the PN, management of PN real estates and bases, and self-reliant defense posture of the organization.

Adaci is a native of Ifugao, Mt. Province and is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Makatao” Class of 1989. He is also a lawyer, having finished his Law degree in 2000 and passing the Bar Examinations in that same year.

Some of the key positions he previously held include the Naval Installation Command as its commander, and Fleet-Marine Ready Force, the Navy’s national maneuver force, as commander.

Meanwhile, Bacarro thanked Valencia for holding the PN’s fort in the past two months to ensure the continuity of the organization’s operations.