Angara calls for creation of
Phillippine Air Force Academy

To complement the PAF Flying Schools (PAFFS) which is presently the main source of regular officers in the Philippine Air Force, Senator Edgardo J. Angara today called for the creation of the Philippine Air Force Academy (PAFA) as the PAFFS can no longer cope with the required number and proper training of officer pilots due to inadequate facilities and logistical support.

Angara added that since a college degree is an academic requirement for entrance into the PAFFS, thousands of gifted high school graduates are unable to pursue a career in the Air Force due to a lack of a college education.

"They are denied the opportunity to serve our country through the PAF, simply because many of them cannot afford a college education," he said.

"The PAF Academy will form an adequate corps of professional Air Force officers with the proper education, training and orientation to lead and manage the complex technologies inherent in the field of aviation," he added.

The establishment of PAFA will also prevent "regular officer homogeneity" where the Armed Forces is controlled in all its branches and at all levels by a regular officer school, a relationship that may not be politically sound and healthy.

"There is also a need to professionalize the other Air Force officer career areas like aircraft maintenance, avionics and air logistics, which will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the PAF. These highly specialized career fields cannot be adequately addressed by a traditional military academy like the Philippine Military Academy," said Angara.

Recently, Angara also sponsored the Civil Aviation Act of 2007 (SBN 1932), which will create the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, a single, centralized, and autonomous civil aviation authority. It will spur the development of a more state-of-the-art and dynamic civil aviation industry and consequently, tourism industry, propelling the Philippines to become the next flight-training capital in Asia.