SPEECH OF INTRODUCTION FOR LT GEN NOEL A COBALLES AFP

55TH Commanding General, Philippine Army

GREETINGS!!!

Stewart Friedman once said that a Leader, in its most important sense

means being the agent of his own life, influencing the things he cares about

most in the world to make it a richer life. “This quote simply elucidates the

philosophy and upbringing of our guest of honor who started from humble

beginnings in Los Banos, his birthplace. As a lad with a strong will and

determination to fulfill his dream to become a military officer and serve his

nation, he joined the long-grey line in 1980 and became part of the Sandiwa

Class of 1985.

Prior to his position as the 51st Chief of Staff, Armed Forces of the

Philippines, our guest of honor and speaker was the Commander of Eastern

Mindanao Command, Southern Luzon Command, and 4th Infantry Diamond

Division, Philippine Army.

Moving backwards, he was the Chief of Staff, Philippine Army. He also

held key positions such as Chief of War Plans Division, OJ5, GHQ ;

Secretary Army General Staff at Headquarters Philippine Army; Secretary

Joint Staff AFP, Head Executive Assistant to the Chief of Staff, AFP, Chief,
Management and Fiscal Office PA ; Brigade Commander of the 701st

Infantry (Kagitingan) Brigage, 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division; and Assistant

Division Commander, 10th Infantry (Agila) Division.

Among his notable accomplishments include the automation of the

Philippine Army’s Fiscal Management System that insured efficiency and

transparency in the Army Transformation Roadmap and adjudged as the 4th

Infantry Division’s Best Battalion during his stint as Commanding Officer of

the 26th Infantry battalion and best brigade when he was the Commander of

the 701st Brigade.

During his reign as 4ID Commander, the division became the first army

major unit to have reached the Institutionalized status (with gold trailblazer

award) in the implementation of the Performance Governing System in line

with the Army Transformation Program. Under his leadership, he effectively

reduced the insurgency threat in Northern Mindanao and Caraga Regions.

Also, he successfully provided the service support requirements of the units

suppressing the terrorist threat during the Marawi Rebellion.

His stint as the Commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command,

there was an unprecedented decline of insurgency in the region that boasted

the Socio-economic activities of the Region.

 Our Guest of Honor and Speaker consistently excelled in his local and

International Trainings. He graduated number 1 in the AFP Command and

General Staff Course, Infantry Officer Advance Course, and in the Special

Security and Intelligent Course. Apart from these trainings, he also took the

following courses abroad, the Forward Observer Course in Manly Australia

and the Peacekeeping Operations in Accordance with Law in Newport,

Rhode Island, USA.

He also earned a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from the

University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia ; and a Master’s

Degree in Public Administration at Philippine Christian University.

Furthermore, he also finished the following courses: Professional Director’s

Program, Senior Executive Course in National Security at the National

Defense College of the Philippines, Financial course at the University of Asia

and the Pacific, and the Defense Resource Management Course in

Canberra, Australia.

A genuine leader with exemplary performance, he is a recipient of

numerous military awards, medals and plaques of recognition from local

executives and stakeholders. A recipient of the 2016 outstanding citizen

Award during the founding anniversary of Los Banos, Laguna; the Cavalier
Award for Outstanding Performance in Command and Administration

bestowed by PMA Alumni Association, Inc; and the 2018 Alumnus of the

Year Award during the 2018 Alumni Excellence Awards for his significant

contribution to peace and security in Mindanao.

His present advocacy is geared towards establishing a solid

partnership with the national and local leaders to yield cohesive efforts at

various levels of government, enhanced AFP internal security campaign, and

strengthen stakeholder convergence in support of the President to finally end

the communist Armed Conflict. In connection with the AFP transformation

Roadmap, he persistently promotes and develops the culture of

professionalism and good governance in the attainment of the AFP mission

and vision.

Our Guest of Honor and Speaker is a proud member of the PMA

Sandiwa Class of 1985, married to Maria Gemma B Convenido of San Pablo

City, Laguna. They are blessed with three children –Jed Matthew, Monica

Ysabel, and Sofia Dominick. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present

to you GENERAL BENJAMIN R MADRIGAL JR AFP, the Chief of Staff

Armed Forces of the Philippines.