06-07-2025
Blanco is new Philippine Marine Corps Commandant
Vice Admiral Jose Ma Ambrosio Ezpeleta Flag Officer In Command, Philippine Navy, awards the Personal Flag to newly assumed 37th PMC Commandant, Major General Vicente Blanco III, during a donning of ranks and assumption of command ceremony on July 4, 2025, at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Naval Station Jose Francisco, Taguig City. PHOTO: PHILIPPINE NAVY
Major General Vicente Blanco III was formally welcomed by the Philippine Navy as the 37th Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps in Taguig City.
The donning of ranks and assumption of command ceremony was presided by Vice Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosio Ezpeleta, the head of the Philippine Navy on July 4, 2025, at Marine Barracks Rudiardo Brown, Naval Station Jose Francisco.
Ezpeleta expressed 'full confidence' in Blanco's leadership, underscoring his trust in the newly installed Commandant to empower the Marines, officers, enlisted personnel, and civilian human resources under his command.
'From this moment forward, you are in charge of leading the Philippine Marine Corps in a dynamic global security environment. As you take the helm, sustain its transformation under the Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy and sharpen the Corps into a force that is not only the most ready, but also the most relevant—whether on land, at sea, or in the littorals,' Ezpeleta said.
Blanco is a member of the Philippine Military Academy 'Sambisig' Class of 1991, graduating 12th out of 218 cadets. A distinguished and combat-hardened marine officer, he has led marine forces in deployments in Sulu, Palawan, Tawi-Tawi, and Quezon, to his command of the 4th Marine Brigade, and most recently, his service as Deputy Commandant of the PMC. —RF, GMA Integrated News
