Living His Childhood Dream

By Maricar Gay Savella-Villamil

It has always been my childhood dream to be a soldier. I clearly remember when I was still a kid how my cousins and I would wave at soldiers passing by our house. It was then when I started dreaming of becoming a soldier. This was further reinforced when soldiers assisted us during the funeral of my grandfather. That thought of being able to help people left a strong impression on me. I have been in the AFP for 27 years now."

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) has completed the relocation and replication of the headquarters of the Army Support Command (ASCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City to Camp Servillano S. Aquino in Tarlac.

The transfer of the ASCOM to its new home paves the way for the development of the 33.13-hectare Bonifacio South Pointe Property, thus further generating modernization funds for the AFP.

A support component of the Philippine Army, the ASCOM is tasked to provide proactive, integrated, and sustained quality logistics support services to units of the said major service of the AFP.

Modern facilities

The development plan for ASCOM facilities involves the construction of 44 structures within a 29.8-hectare lot in Camp Aquino, the seat of the

AFP Northern Luzon Command. These modern facilities include the Service Support Training Center headquarters, two classrooms, student mess hall, two student barracks, commander’s quarters, deputy commander’s quarters, chief of staff’s quarters, three security barracks, senior officers’ quarters, junior officers’ quarters, and sergeant major’s quarters.

BCDA sat down with the new director of its Research and Development Center, LtCol Vladimir D Sta Maria OS (GSC) PA to ask for his feedback on the facilities.

LtCol Sta Maria served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics, ASCOM, PA, the primary staff responsible in providing logistics support to all ASCOM units, prior to his assumption as RDC Director. An alumnus of the Philippine Military Academy Sanghaya Class of 2000, he took the AFP Command and General Staff Course in 2012. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Management major in Development and Security.

What are you looking forward to with the BCDA’s completion and turn over of modern facilities for the ASCOM here at Camp Aquino? What key differences were experienced between the old and the replicated facilities?

The completion and turnover of replicated facilities is a fruition of a two-decade effort to transfer ASCOM from Fort Bonifacio to Camp Aquino. Finally, having our new home is something every ASCOM personnel has been looking forward to. Seeing our new facilities, it was truly life-altering literally.

The BCDA really did a great job of not only replicating our old dilapidated buildings but also of greatly transforming them into world-class facilities that we are really proud of. From work-enhancing operational facilities to very comfortable billeting areas, well-lit and wide roads, fully functioning water and electrical systems; and well-manicured grounds, you can truly feel the BCDA’s desire to give the best to us. Even the environment was taken care of, as a standard sewage treatment plant is included among our new facilities. It is really a far cry from our old facilities in Fort Bonifacio.

How will these facilities benefit you and fellow troops in the Army in the performance of duties?

Known by our moniker as “The Providers,”… we provide womb-to-tomb support to all Army units and personnel. Our capabilities are wide ranging, and include supply, transportation, maintenance, explosive ordnance disposal, CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear), mortuary and other field services. Our units are deployed all throughout the archipelago and, wherever there is an Army unit, ASCOM is there to provide logistics support to them. Central to accomplishing this mission is a home base with the needed facilities where our assets and resources can project to the different areas of the country to provide logistics support. The vast supplies and equipment we have [require] proper infrastructure to store and maintain them so [they are ready to use]. Our most important asset—our personnel—also needs proper facilities not only to shelter them but also to train them on muchneeded skills. We did not have these before…We now have world-class facilities that will ensure a more effective and efficient performance of our duties.

What facility is your personal favorite in terms of scope and benefit? Why?

I have always been pushing for improving our work environment as this will directly enhance our mission accomplishment. As such, our operational facilities, particularly the warehouses, maintenance and transportation bays, and our office buildings are my favorites. The Army has long embarked on a transformation program [aimed at making] us a world-class Army that is a source of national pride. While ASCOM strived hard to provide world-class logistics service, it was still handicapped by its previous operational facilities. Our warehouse space is now eight times bigger than the previous ones. That enabled us to follow standard warehousing procedures where we can maximize our material handling equipment to hasten our supply operations. We are proud to say our warehouses are now comparable to industry-leading logistics companies. Our maintenance facility now has handling equipment and features that we’ve long identified as a requirement for our maintenance operations. Our transportation personnel can now work efficiently on their trucks to ensure their readiness at all times. No more wayward parking for our trucks. There is enough space to park 100 trucks in our new transportation unit area.

What can you say about BCDA’s efforts to build modern facilities for our troops? Where can we step up/improve on, if any, under our mandate of helping strengthen our armed forces while building great cities?

As a soldier, it is heartwarming to know that an agency such as the BCDA exists to help in strengthening our Armed Forces. I have been given the privilege to manage the implementation of AFP Modernization Projects in a different capacity before, and, as such, I am aware of the contributions the BCDA is giving towards that effort…[T]he output of the BCDA, as shown by the economic activities generated in the areas it covered, such as the Bonifacio Global City and the Clark Global City, is truly enormous. I think the returns that the country has made from the conversion of these former military already far outweighs their worth before. It’s a win-win solution for everyone.