11 September 2015 – On September 01, Philippine Consul General to Honolulu Gina Jamoralin welcomed Colonel Cheston Valencerina (GSC), Head of the Academic Affairs, Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College (AFPCGSC) and Commander Emerson David PN (GSC), Assistant Head, who called on the Consul General together with Captain Rey dela Cruz PN (GSC), AFP Liason Officer to US Pacific Command.
Col. Valencerina led a 34-member delegation from the AFPCGSG who are currently in Hawaii for a study mission hosted by the US Pacific Command (USPACOM) and sponsored by the Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC). The Foreign Academic Travel to Hawaii is part of the AFPCGSC’s curriculum and module on Joint and Combined Operations (JACO) Phase meant to expose senior AFP officers attending courses at the GSC in joint operations and allow them to interact with foreign armed forces and officials. For the AFPCGSC Class 60 group in Hawaii, they were able to visit USPACOM, MARFORPAC, USARPAC, PACFLT, PACAF, Pacific Warfighting Center, Center for Excellence, Hawaii National Guard, Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) faculty members and other stakeholders.
In the same evening, Capt. Rey dela Cruz, AFP Liaison Officer to USPACOM, in coordination with Filipino-American Officers, US officers with Filipina spouses, Philippine Desk Officers, and retired Filipino officers in the US armed forces, hosted a barbecue dinner at the Consulate General attended by all the thirty-four delegates and their families and members of the Filipino community. END