Philippine Air Force Reserve Command

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – “Let us keep the values of courage, integrity and loyalty intact, and let it be a beacon that would guide us daily in our thoughts and deeds.”

This was the message of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 2013’s topnotcher, Cadet 1st Class Nevin Castor.

The 22-year-old Castor, who hails from Misamis Occidental , topped the 124 members of “Pudang Kalis” to become rank 3.

Pudang Kalis stands for soldiers with heart and honor, unified in strength, and is derived from a Muslim term for “sacred sword.”

In his graduation speech, Castor talked about the sufferings he and his classmates went through and the temptation of giving up.

“Let me just say there were more than enough to break us – body and spirit. Give up! Because we mssed our families and the carefree lives we used to live. Resign! This was an option not a few times entertained by many of us. But no, we never gave up,” he said.

Castor called his 4 years in the academy “well worth it,” and talked about having mixed emotions over graduation.

“I am engulfed by mixed feelings of joy and melancholy. I am happy that rigid training have come to an end. But fear grips me too for what lies ahed and how to live up to the expectations of many is overwhelming,” he said.

In a touching moment, he spoke in his dialect to express his gratitude to his parents Sonny Castor, a pastor, saying all he had achieved was because of them. He also thanked his classmates for “being a source of strength.”

Of the 124 graduates, 67 were from the army, 24 from the air force and 33 from the navy. There were 105 males and 19 females.

Castor grew up in a poor community alone until he reached fourth grade. He is the youngest of 5 siblings.

The young cadet worked as balut vendor to earn money for college. He already have a degree of ab polsci at southern mindanao colleges pagadian city and a civil service passer, before he entered the PMA. – Wikipedia.org

Commonwealth Act No. 1, particularly Section II, cites the responsibility of each and every citizen of for the defense of the nation. Citizens may be mobilized in the event the national government declares an act of war or emergency.^[1]

Republic Act No. 7077,^[2] also known as the Citizen's Armed Force Act or Reservist Law of 1991, is an act passed in to law by the joint house of representatives which clearly provides the policies and procedures in the creation and administration of reservists and reserve units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Republic Act No. 9163,^[3] also known as the National Service Training Program Act or National Service Law of 2001, defines the policies and procedures in administration/training of ROTC Units in relation to the other two components, Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) and Literacy Training Service (LTS), of the National Service Training Program (NSTP).

Training is one of the primary tasks that is handled by NAVRESCOM. The three primary sources of Naval Reservists (Filipino: Laang Kawal Pandagat) are:

• Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) - given to tertiary-level students who voluntarily signed for ROTC under the National Service Training Program (NSTP),
• Basic Citizen's Military Course (BCMC) - for civilians from all professions who did not take ROTC, and would want to become a part of the AFP Reserve Force on top of being corporate professionals, and
• Military Orientation Training (MOT) - for volunteer employees of private or public organizations of utility service providers assigned as a Philippine Air Force Affiliated Reserve Unit (PAF ARU)

AFRC, also through its ROTC Program, prepares future officers in the Air Force serving in the reserve force.

There are currently three types of reservists in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Reserve Force:

Section 12, Article 5, of Republic Act 7077 breaks down and categorizes reservists and their units based on various criteria cited by this law.

• First Category Reservists - Able bodied Reservists aged 18 up to 35 years of age, inclusive.
• Second Category Reservists - Able bodied Reservists aged 36 up to 51 years of age, inclusive.
• Third Category Reservists - All able-bodied Reservists aged above 52 years of age.

Section 13, Article 5, of Republic Act 7077 clearly cites the classification of reservists based on their operational readiness for immediate deployment or mobilization.

• Ready Reserve - physically fit and tactically current reservist personnel that are always on constant alert and training; ready to mobilize once a mobilization order has been given. Reservists who belong to/work for a PAF ARU is also classified under the Ready Reserve.
• Standby Reserve - Reservists who do not maintain currency in specialization qualifications but the base for expansion, support and augmentation to the Ready Reserve Force as needed.
• Retired Reserve - composed of citizens who are qualified for retirement either by length of service or age.

• 1st Air Reserve Center (1ARCEN) - Villamor Air Base, Pasay
• 2nd Air Reserve Center (2ARCEN) - Clark Air Base, Angeles City, Pampanga
• 3rd Air Reserve Center (3ARCEN) - Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas
• 4th Air Reserve Center (4ARCEN) - Antonio Bautista Air Base, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan
• 5th Air Reserve Center (5ARCEN) - Brigadier General Benito N Ebuen Air Base, Lapu-Lapu City
• 6th Air Reserve Center (6ARCEN) - Edwin Andrews Air Base, Santa Maria, Zamboanga city
• 7th Air Reserve Center (7ARCEN) - TOWEASTMIN, Davao Air Station, Old Airport, Sasa, Davao City
• 8th Air Reserve Center (8ARCEN) - TOG 10, Lumbia, Cagayan de Oro City

Source:

• 1st Air Force Wing (Reserve)^[6] - Villamor Air Base, Pasay - Wing Commander: BGEN CHARITO PLAZA PAFR
• 2nd Air Force Wing (Reserve) - Clark Air Base, Mabalacat City, Pampanga - OIC Wing Commander: LTC MICHAEL ODYLON L ROMERO PAFR (GSC)
  • Awards: AIR FORCE WING RESERVE OF THE YEAR 2020
• 3rd Air Force Wing (Reserve) - Basilio Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas
• 4th Air Force Wing (Reserve) - Antonio Bautista Air Base, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan - Wing Commander: BGEN ERNESTO S LEVANZA
  • 42nd Air Force Group Reserve - OIC Group Commander: CPT ORLANDO A BA-ALAN
• 5th Air Force Wing (Reserve) - BGen Benito N Ebuen Air Base, Lapu-Lapu City
• 6th Air Force Wing (Reserve) - Edwin Andrews Air Base, Santa Maria, Zamboanga city
• 7th Air Force Wing (Reserve) - HQs 7th ARCen, TOWEASTMIN, Davao Air Station, Old Airport, Sasa, Davao City

• 11th Air Force Group Reserve - Villamor Air Base, Pasay - Group Commander : LTC ELMER A NICOLAS PAFR(GSC) (2020 up to present)
  • Group Awards: OJ9 AFP Ready Reserve Unit of the Year 2016(Battalion/Group) Category
  • Units under 11th Air Force Group Reserve:
    • 1101st Advance Command Post (Malabon City).
    • 1102nd Advance Command Post (Navotas City).
    • 1103rd Advance Command Post(Caloocan City).
    • 1104th Advance Command Post (Valenzuela City).
    • 1121st Advance Command Post( Greater Lagro).
    • 1122nd Advance Command Post (QC City Hall).
    • 1131st Advance Command Post( Marikina City).
• 12th Air Force Group Reserve - Villamor Air Base, Pasay - Group Commander : LTC JUDE E ESTRADA PAF(RES)(GSC)
  • Units under 12th Air Force Group Reserve:
    • 121st Airlift Squadron (Res) -Squadron Commander: CPT TYRONE CHUA PAF(RES)
    • 122nd Search and Rescue Squadron (Res)
    • 123rd Motor Vehicle Squadron (Res) -Squadron Commander: 1LT MICHAEL VERGEL PAF(RES)
    • 124th Civil Engineering Squadron (Res) -Squadron Commander: MAJ FORTUNATO BERGANIA PAF(RES)
    • 125th Air Police Squadron (Res) -Squadron Commander: 1LT MELVIN BETIA PAF(RES)
    • 126th Aeromedical Squadron (Res) -Squadron Commander: MAJ GARY ONA PAF(RES)
• 13th Air Force Group Reserve - Villamor Air Base, Pasay - Group Commander : LTC MARIA JO LIM PAFR(GSC) - Group Awards : Best Group of the year (2015-2016) Units under 13th Air Force Group Reserve:
  • 131st Airlift Squadron (Res)
  • 132nd Search and Rescue Squadron (Res)
  • 133rd Motor Vehicle Squadron (Res)
  • 134th Civil Engineering Squadron (Res)
  • 135th Air Police Squadron (Res)
  • 136th Aeromedical Squadron (Res)
• 21st Air Force Group Reserve - Baguio Airport, Baguio, Benguet - Group Commander : LTC JOSE ANTONIO LAMBINO PAFR (MNSA)
• 22nd Air Force Group Reserve - TOG 2, Cauayan, Isabela - Group Commander : LTC ARTHUR P TUGADE PAFR
• 23rd Air Force Group Reserve - Cesar Basa Air Base, Floridablanca, Pampanga - Group Commander : LTC JOSE PAOLO L DELGADO PAFR (MNSA)
  • Units under 23rd Air Force Group Reserve:
    • 231st Airlift Squadron Reserve.
    • 232nd Search and Rescue Squadron Reserve.
    • 233rd Motor Vehicle Squadron Reserve.
    • 234th Civil Engineering Squadron Reserve.
    • 235th Air Police Squadron Reserve.
    • 236th Aeromedical Squadron Reserve.

• 131st DAST – Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU), Quezon City
• 133rd DAST – Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA), Pasay City
• 134th DAST – PATTS College of Aeronautics, Parañaque City
• 136th DAST – University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) – Las Piñas Campus
• 236th DAST – Holy Cross College (HCC), Pampanga
• 238th DAST - First City Providential College (FCPC), San Jose del Monte, Bulacan
• 243rd DAST – University of the Cordilleras, Baguio City
• 323rd DAST - Alpha Centauri Educational System (ACES), Lucena City, Quezon
• 324th DAST - University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) – Calamba Campus
• 328th DAST - San Francisco Institute of Science and Technology, Malilipot, Albay
• 521st DAST - Indiana Aerospace University (IAU), Mactan City, Cebu
• 525th DAST – Bago City College, Negros Occidental
• 526th DAST – West Visayas State University (WVSU)
• 527th DAST – Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU)
• 528th DAST – Negros Oriental State University (NORSU)
• 621st DAST - Mindanao State University-Sulu
• 624th DAST - Southern City College, Zamboanga del Sur
• 735th DAST - Kapalong College of Agriculture, Science, and Technology (KCAST), Davao del Norte
• 801st DAST – Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan

• 1st Airlift Wing (Reserve) (AirAsia Philippines)^[7]
• 1st Air Education and Training Group (Reserve) (Philippine State College of Aeronautics)^[8]
• 1st Intelligence Security Wing (Reserve) (Bureau of Immigration)
• 120th Air Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group (Reserve) (Leading Edge International Aviation Academy, Inc.) ^[9]
• 120th PAFARU Health Services (Reserve) (AUF Medical Center, Angeles City)
• 123rd PAFARU (RG Meditron, Inc.)
• 124th PAFARU (Philippine EAGLECOM Society Inc.) ^[10]
• 128th Fire Crash and Rescue Group (Reserve) (Association of Volunteer Fire Chiefs and Firefighters of the Philippines Inc.)
• 500th Search and Rescue Group (Reserve) (RESCUE 5)
• 1110th Air Reconnaissance Squadron (Reserve) (Asian International School of Aeronautics and Technology, Davao City) ^[11]
• 1130th Services Squadron (Reserve) (Puerto Princesa City Water District) ^[12]
• 2201st Reserve Pilot Training Squadron (Masters Flying School, Quezon City) ^[13]
• 2320th Philippine Air Force Affiliated Group (Reserve) (Clark Development Corporation) ^[14]

• COL Michael Odylon L. Romero, GSC, PAF(Res) - former Representative, One Patriotic Coalition of Marginalized Nationals; owner, Globalport 900, and NorthPort Batang Pier professional basketball team^[15]
• LTC Rosa Vilma T. Santos-Recto, PAF(Res) - actress; former Governor, Batangas^[16]
• MAJ Jose Antonio S. Leviste II, PAF(Res) - former Vice Governor, Batangas
• MAJ Pircelyn "Celine" B. Pialago, PAF(Res) - former spokesperson, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board; candidate Miss Philippines Earth 2014 (Dalaguete, Cebu)
• 2LT Hidilyn F. Diaz-Naranjo, PAF(Res) - first Filipino Olympic gold medalist (womens 55 kg, weightlifting), 2020 Summer Olympics^[17]
• SGT Coleen Nicole "Coleen Perez" L. Bergonia, PAF(Res) - actress^[18]
• SGT David John U. Chua, PAF(Res) - actor, director^[19]
• SGT Geneva M. Cruz, PAF(Res) - actress, lead vocalist, Smokey Mountain
• SGT Michelle Daniela M. Dee, PAF(Res) - winner, Miss Universe Philippines 2023; Top 10, Miss Universe 2023^[20]
• SGT John Vic O. de Guzman, PAF(Res) - actor; silver medalist (men's volleyball), 2019 Southeast Asian Games
• SGT Juan Miguel G. de Guzman, PAF(Res) - actor, mixed martial artist
• SGT Jason Joseph Francis Carlos D. Ejercito, PAF(Res) - actor; son of Gary Estrada
• SGT Edward Jake L. Falcon, PAF(Res) - actor; Big Winner, Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Edition Plus; former Vice Governor, Oriental Mindoro^[21]
• SGT María Rosario N. Santos-Concio, PAF(Res) - actress, host, Maalaala Mo Kaya; former President, ABS-CBN Corporation
• SGT Eumir Felix D. Marcial, PAF(Res) - Olympic bronze medalist (middleweight), 2020 Summer Olympics^[22]
• SGT Ramona Cecilia D. Muñoz, PAF(Res) - actress

• Armed Forces of the Philippines Reserve Command
• Philippine Army Reserve Command
• Philippine Navy Reserve Command
• Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary