MANILA, Aug. 11 (PNA) — A ranking Indonesian Air Force (IAF) officer, Air Chief Marshal Agus Supriatna, is in the Philippines for a two-day visit.
The visit of Supriatna, the IAF’s chief-of-staff, started on Monday and will end on Wednesday.
Philippine Air Force (PAF) spokesperson Col. Enrico Canaya said the Indonesian officer was accorded arrival honors at the PAF quadrangle at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City. PAF chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey F. Delgado served as military host.
It was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument of Fallen Airmen and the awarding of honorary PAF Gold Wings Badge to Supriatna who then visited the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
The latter’s visit to the PAF is one way of continuing the mutual relationship and some form of consultation on matters pertaining to training exchange programs between the two Air Forces.
At present, there are eight Indonesian students with the rank of major (one Navy, one Air Force and six Army) who are undergoing schooling at the Command and General Staff College in Camp Aguinaldo.
An Indonesian Air Force officer with a rank of captain is also undergoing a four-month Squadron Officer Course schooling since Aug. 10 at the Air Force Officer School located in Fernando Air Base, Lipa City, Batangas.
A Philippine-Indonesia Cadets Exchange Program is als underway.
Earlier, five Indonesian Air Force Academy cadets visited Fernando Air Base at Lipa City last Aug. 2-7 to observe the conduct of training at the PAF Officer Candidate School (PAFOCS) to expose every cadet and let them observe the best practices in the military organizational system of the Philippines.
In return, five PAFOCS cadets will also be sent to observe the conduct of training at Indonesian Air Force Academy on Sept. 8-11 at Yogyakarta, Indonesia. (PNA)