By Jaime Pilapil

THE former head of the Presidential Airlift Wing yesterday assumed command of the Philippine Air Force, replacing Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog who is set to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Sunday.

Maj. Gen. Oscar Rabena assumed command in turnover ceremonies presided by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and military chief Gen. Alexander Yano at the Air Force headquarters at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Before his promotion, Rabena was the military’s deputy chief of staff for plans and a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1978, which adopted President Arroyo as an honorary member.

“He [Rabena] is a complete package of an officer and a multi-dimensional officer because he became commander of various key units ranging from tactical, plans and programs,” said Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Gerry Zamudio.

“He was the inspector general of the Air Force who knows the problem at the lower echelon. He knows the concerns and he knows what should be done. He is indeed the best choice,” Zamudio said.

Rabena bested three other candidates for the post: Air Force vice commander Maj. Gen. Rolando Capacia, Air Force vice commander Maj. Gen. Hernani Perez, and Maj. Gen. Nathaniel Legaspi, commander of the Air Force’s 2nd Air Division.

Aside from being military planning chief and Air Force inspector general, Rabena was also commander of the 15th Strike Wing based in Atienza Air Base in Cavite City.

He was assistant chief of air staff for plans from April 2004 to March 2006, after a stint as executive assistant to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita in Malacañang.

He was also commandant of the Air Force Flying School in Lipa, commander of the Air Force’s tactical operations group in Cagayan de Oro, MD-520 MG attack helicopter system manager, and director for weapons systems. He is set to retire on Aug. 24, 2012.

A consistent honor student during his PMA days, Rabena has master’s degrees in business administration from De La Salle University, management from the Asian Institute of Management, and defense studies from the University of New South Wales in Canberra, Australia.