Bartolome Vicente Bacarro
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Bartolome Bacarro | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2022 | |
| 58th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
| In office August 8, 2022 – January 6, 2023 | |
| President | Bongbong Marcos |
| Preceded by | Andres Centino |
| Succeeded by | Andres Centino |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 18, 1966 |
| Spouse | Soledad Bonsato |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Philippine Military Academy (BS) |
| Awards | Medal of Valor |
| Nickname | "Bob" |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Philippines |
| Branch | Philippine Army |
| Years of service | 1988–2023 |
| Rank |  Lieutenant general |
| Commands | |
| Battles/wars | |
Bartolome Vicente "Bob" Orpilla Bacarro (born September 18, 1966) is a retired Philippine Army lieutenant general who served as the 58th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2022 to 2023.[4] He previously commanded the Southern Luzon Command. In 1991, Bacarro was awarded the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medal of Valor for his actions against the New People's Army in Maconacon, Isabela.[5][6]
Bartolome Vicente Orpilla Bacarro was born on 18 September 1966 at San Fernando, La Union. Bacarro later graduated the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) as part of Maringal Class of 1988 earning his commission as a Philippine Army second lieutenant. Bacarro completed his Command and General Staff Course at the United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in Leavenworth, Kansas, USA. He also completed various courses locally such as the Basic and Advanced Infantry Officer Courses, the Basic Airborne Course and the Special Forces Combat Qualification Course. Bacarro also took courses overseas, such as the Combined Strategic Intelligence Training Program in Washington, D.C. and the Public Affairs Orientation Course in Hawaii.[7][8]
Military career
Throughout his military career in the Philippine Army, Bacarro first served his junior years in units under the command of the 5th Infantry Division in Isabela, where he was deployed amidst the rising incursions between the Army and the New People's Army in the province from 1988 to 1995. He also later served as an administrative commander, intelligence commander and operations commander of various units in the Army, and later served at the Civil-Military Operations Office and as a Secretary of the Army Staff. Bacarro also served under the Filipino Contingent on the UNGCI before being named as the spokesperson of the Philippine Army in November 2004,[9] and was later named as the Chief of the Public Affairs Office. Bacarro later served as the Internal Auditor of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Chief of Staff of the 4th Infantry Division in 2014 before serving as the Army Chief of Staff for Operations, OG3. Bacarro also assumed command of the 502nd Infantry Brigade, of the 2nd Infantry Division, and of the Cadet Corps of the Philippine Military Academy.
Commandant of Cadets
On September 18, 2019, Philippine Military Academy plebe Darwin Dormitorio was declared dead on arrival at the Fort del Pilar Hospital in Baguio due to injuries sustained from hazing at the academy. Separate investigations by the inspector general of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and by the secretary of justice Menardo Guevarra and National Bureau of Investigation ensued. Bacarro, together with the Philippine Military Academy superintendent, Lieutenant General Ronnie Evangelista, tendered his resignation "in the military tradition of command responsibility". Charges were filed against the two generals, but were cleared by Baguio Prosecutors for lack of probable cause.[10][11][12]
Southern Luzon Command
On July 25, 2021, Bacarro replaced retiring Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. as commander of the Southern Luzon Command.
Representative Rufus Rodriguez of the 2nd District of Cagayan de Oro, the hometown of Cadet Darwin Dormitorio, appealed to recall the appointment of Bacarro and urged the Department of Justice to review the general's exoneration, specifically against the Anti-Hazing Act of 1995 that holds responsible those who could have prevented hazing activities but have not done so.[13][14]
AFP Chief
In August 2022, President Bongbong Marcos appointed Bacarro as the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and replaced General Andres Centino.[15] During his assumption speech, Bacarro emphasized his command thrust as UNITY, which stands for Unparalleled Professionalism, Noble utilization of resources, Invigorating capability development, Tenacity in sustaining gains, and Yearning for service excellence. Bacarro also mentioned the importance of time as a "highly valuable commodity" and also vowed to continue the AFP Modernization plans while creating careful monitoring measures due to the changes of warfare and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,[16] and the Self Reliance Posture.[17][18]
Bacarro's appointment was also the first under the appointment of President Bongbong Marcos under a fixed term of three years.[19][20] A few months after his appointment, his term later came with controversy, as Bacarro's term, despite being the first officer to be under the fixed three year term, was junior to his predecessor General Centino. The controversy first made noise after the editorial made by then-AFP Spokesman retired Major General Edgard Arevalo in The Manila Times named "The fates of two AFP chiefs of staff", and later caused Centino's position as a four-star officer to be more senior compared to Bacarro, barring the latter to be promoted, and later caused a rumbling in the AFP hierarchy.[21][22][23] Months later, Republic Act No. 11939 was made into law and prevented fixed the problems occurred under Republic Act No. 11709.[24] On January 7, 2023, Bacarro was eventually replaced by his predecessor General Andres Centino, and retired from military service, a move aimed to fix the seniority issue under his appointment.[25]
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