A full-blooded Batangueño, Secretary
Renato De Villa is no stranger to public service as he was formerly Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff under Pres. Corazon Aquino and Secretary of National
Defense under Pres. Fidel Ramos.
“RENE”, as he is fondly called, achieved prominence as the man who
gallantly stood for the republic in the dark days after People Power I when the popular
government was plagued with military coups here and there.
Sec. De Villa finished his elementary and secondary education in Batangas. He spent
a year studying engineering at the University of Santo Tomas before entering the
Philippine Military Academy (PMA) at Fort del Pilar, Baguio City in 1953. He is also an
alumnus of the Asian Institute of Management finishing a Masters in Business Management
degree there in 1972.
A war hero, Sec. De Villa actually saw action in Vietnam when he led the Philippine
Civic Action Group in Tay Minh in 1968. For his heroics, he was feted the US Legion of
Merit (Degree of Commander), an Honor Medal -- First Class (Army of Vietnam), an Army
Commendation Medal (US Army), a Presidential Unit Citation Medal (South Vietnam), and a
Vietnam Campaign Medal (South Vietnam).
In 1978, Sec. De Villa returned to the PMA to serve as Commandant of cadets until
1981 when he was promoted as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the AFP.
Subsequently, he became Superintendent of the PC TRACOM in 1983 and Regional Commander of
RECOM 5 in 1985. A year later, he became the Chief of the Constabulary and Director of the
Integrated National Police. By 1987, he was appointed Vice Chief of Staff. Finally, in
1998 he became the Chief of Staff of the AFP.
Sec. De Villa is a recipient of other
countless military awards and decorations here and abroad, most notably two Philippine
Legions of Honor (Degree of Commander), a Distinguished Conduct Star, five Distinguished
Service Stars, an Outstanding Achievement Medal, a Long Service Medal, an Indonesian
Legion of Honor (Degree of Commander), and a Most Notable Order of the Crown of Thailand
(First Class -- Knight Grand Cross).
Sec. De Villa is married to the former
Monica Barrica of Dipolog City. The couple is blessed with two sons (Patrick Roland and
Michael Celestino) and two daughters (Ma. Mercedes and Katherine Johanna). |