Marines celebrate 60 years of excellent, honorable and dedicated service

Tristan Ray I. Besa
The Palawan Times

Remembering its history and rejoicing its accomplishments, the Philippine Marine Corps celebrated last November 18 its 60th “birthday” at the Capitol Pavilion. The celebration became a “time to pause, reflect and reminisce history” as Lt. Col. Adolfo B. Albalante, commanding officer of the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT-8), traced how the Marine Corps evolved from being purely a combat unit to being an active partner in bringing progress and development to the community. Albalante stated with pride how, 60 years after it has been established, the Philippine Marine Corps has managed to “stand formidable against the passing of time.” Major General Juancho M. Sabban, commanding officer of the Western Command (WESCOM), brought everybody for a walk down the memory lane as he talked of “how time has shaped” the Philippine Marine Corps, from being an instrument of a strategic operation in the Spratly Archipelago where the Philippines staked a claim on eight of its islands in 1970s, to fighting the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in 1980s, and finally to becoming champions of counterinsurgency and environmental protection in 1990s. “Palawan has served as the background to the indomitable spirit of the marines,” MGen Sabban said. He also reminded his audience of the “long history of [the Philippine Marine Corps] of caretaking Palawan.” From the WESCOM Commander’s point of view, the province of Palawan owes the progress and development it presently enjoys to the “excellent, honorable and dedicated service” that the marines have rendered. In the same vein, Sabban encouraged the marine soldiers to continuously “pursue the culture of excellence” and to be inspired to render service to the country by the “legacy of heroism and bravery” that the other soldiers who came before them had shown. In the midst of the celebration, the soldiers did not forget their fallen comrades who had given up their lives for the country. The soldiers reserved a time to solemnly remember them.