FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City – General Delfin N. Bangit, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff who is due to leave his post this week, addressed the military academy on Saturday with a farewell note to cadets to “practice the virtue of supreme sacrifice” from their plebeian years on to the various levels of their career in the uniformed service.

“No matter what your current predicaments are; no matter how difficult it gets, it will not last forever since you will not always be a plebe. But you will have to endure painful experiences and pick up lessons from it so that you will get on to the next level of your career prepared,” said Bangit in his speech before the 323-member Siklab Diwa Class of 2014 here.

Bangit, who will be retiring from the military service on June 22, was the keynote speaker during the incorporation rites for incoming freshmen or “plebes” of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

The outgoing AFP Chief belongs to the PMA Makatarungan Class 1978.

Jumping off on a farewell note, the top military official said he will also be facing new challenges in his private life like the plebes but his over 30 years of service in the military will help him go through such unfamiliar routines that he will have to undergo.

“Nothing in life lasts. Leaders come and go. Just as I have come and I will go. Even with my retirement, I will not forget that I am a PMAer who will continue to adhere with the academy’s motto, courage, integrity, and loyalty,” Bangit said.

He said that even in retirement, he would continue to monitor the AFP and offer his “extra instructions” where and when necessary.

Recalling his early days in the academy, Bangit said: “I can clearly remember my first “Open House” during my incorporation day. My mother passed right in front of me several times. Not recognizing her own son, she was on the verge of tears perhaps doubting if I was able to make it through the beast barracks.”

“When my family noticed my name posted on my door, that was the only time that they were able to see me, their ‘Boyet’ who was as dark as chocolate and as thin as a stick. I felt like crying too. But I had to be strong. I had to show my family that I was not wrong with my decision. I had to be brave for them and suppress my emotions, for I know that they get their strength from me, too,” he added.

Bangit said: “We can never really tell the significance of everyday sacrifices right away. That is why it is important to endure the challenges in every moment.”

The AFP chief further told cadets that like a plebe who goes into rigorous training to prove oneself worthy of being incorporated in to the regular corps, “the team AFP seemed like my squad who was with me in my most trying times, when I experienced the pain and hardship and pushed me to go on.”