Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro spearheaded the celebration of the 72nd founding anniversary of the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) on Monday, Nov. 7.
A wreath-laying ceremony was held at the Marine Heroes Monument in Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City as part of the anniversary of the PMC which carried the theme “Team Marines@72: Katuwang ng Bawat Pilipino Tungo sa Mas Mapayapa, Maunlad, at Nagkakaisang Bansa.”
Bacarro said the theme highlights the “illustrious past” and honors the “distinguished legacy” that the Marine forefathers have built in the past seven decades.
Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Chaerlton Gaerlan, PMC Commandant, enjoined all the Marines to stay committed to their sworn duties and “prepare for a better future” for the Corps.
“With our strong resolve to uphold our working principle of ‘Team Marines,’ there is no doubt that we will accomplish the tasks ahead,” Gaerlan stated.
The PMC prepared a series of activities to generate funds and support their Wounded Warrior Program, an initiative that provides medical, recovery, and reintegration support to Marine personnel who were wounded in action. This also provides educational assistance to dependents of personnel who died in the line of duty.
Among these activities include Race for Our Heroes virtual triathlon, Race for Our Heroes motorcycle edition 2, Commandant’s Cup Shoot Fest, Canteen Cup Golf Tournament, and Peace-ta Marino.
The PMC was established on Nov. 2, 1950 when then Department of National Defense (DND) Sec. Ramon Magsaysay created a highly mobile and hard-hitting sea-borne force that can strike against the dissident HUKBALAHAP or “Hukbong Bayan Laban sa Hapon” and other lawless elements entrenched along the vast coastal hideouts in the archipelago.
When it was formed, the PMC, then called as Marine Company “A” of the Philippine Naval Patrol (now the Philippine Navy), had six officers and 230 enlisted personnel since only volunteers were accepted in the special unit considering the projected hard and dangerous concept of its employment.
Now, there are around 10,000 Marines serving in the PMC, one of the smallest but highly efficient units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Because of their unit size, the Marines are given the nickname: “The few, the proud.”