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 RAdm
ERIBERTO C VARONA AFP (Ret) was born in Zumarraga,
Samar on
March
16,1943 to Carolina Costo and the late Pablo Varona. A self-made,
multi-awarded military professional, he was Commander of the Philippine
Fleet before he retired from active military service in 1999. He holds
the historic distinction of being the first Rear Admiral to have
commanded the Fleet.
In 1998, moved by a long-felt desire to help uplift the quality of
life of his townspeople and the belief that education is the best armor
in the battle against poverty, he founded (as Chairman and Treasurer)
the ZUCIR Foundation Inc. (ZUFI), a non-stock and non-profit
organization, established and duly registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for the purpose, among others, of raising funds for
scholarship grants, for the benefit of deserving town mates, as well as
other related activities.
His quest
for excellence started during his youthful days. He graduated
valedictorian both from the
Zumarraga
Central Elementary School in 1956 and from the St. Anthony's Institute
at Zumarraga,
Samar
in 1960. His scholastic achievements merited him a scholarship at the
National University in Metro Manila, where he was a B.S. Commerce
freshman in 1960- 1961. To sustain his living expenses, he worked as a
laborer at the Bureau of Public Works while determined to maintain his
university scholarship until he decided to enter cadetship at the
Philippine Military Academy (PMA), where he graduated number 6 (Magna
Cum Laude) in 1966.
Upon completion of the Naval Officers' Qualification Course (NOQC)
"A" and the Engineering Officers' Course at the Naval Training Command
at Cavite City, then Ensign Varona subsequently assumed junior
officer's billets aboard various naval patrol vessels that took him to
many coastal communities in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Following his
shipboard experience as a young naval officer was a series of
assignments to various key positions in the Headquarters of the
Philippine Navy (PN) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), as
well as the Office of the President at Malacañang. These varied
assignments, hand in hand with his exposure, education and training in
various disciplines broadened his professional outlook and prepared him
well to assume higher responsibilities. His in-between assignments
were spiced with schooling, both local and foreign. His studies
included: Master of Science in Meteorology at the US Naval Postgraduate
School, USA - 1974; Ph D. in Environmental Sciences (Candidate) at the
University of Virginia, USA - 1975-1978; Strategic Business Economics
Program at the Center for Research and Communications (CRC) - 1985;
Master In National Security Administration (MNSA) at the National
Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) - 1987 (Graduated No. 1 with 2
gold medals); Master of Business Administration at the Philippine
Christian University - 1990; Graduate Diploma in Strategic Studies at
the Joint Services Staff College, Canberra, Australia - 1993 and the Top
Management Program at the Asian Institute of Management - 1998. In 2004,
Chelsea University of London awarded the admiral a Ph. D. degree in
Public Administration. In 2005, he was selected as an Executive Course
grantee at the
Asia
Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) in
Honolulu,
Hawaii.
Significant positions which Admiral Varona occupied while in the
active military service, all with distinction, include the following:
Director, Information Systems, Office of the President (1979-1986),
concurrently Secretary Joint Staff, AFP - 1982-1986; skipper of six (6)
Navy Patrol Ships - 1987-1990; Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans and
International Affairs, Headquarters, PN - 1990-1992; Commander, Ready
Force, concurrently Deputy Commander, Philippine Fleet-1993; Assistant
Superintendent, PMA-1994; Commander, Naval District III (Bicol &
Southern Tagalog) - 1994-1995; Commander, Naval District VI/Naval Forces
South (Mindanao) -1995-1997; Vice Commander, Philippine Navy -16
December 1996 - 13 October 1997; and finally, Commander, Philippine
F!eet - 06 October 1997 until his retirement on 16 March 1999. For his
varied outstanding accomplishments, he earned various awards, citations
and plaques/letters of appreciation, commendation and recognition,
notable of which are the following: Philippine Legion of Honor - 1999;
Cavalier Award in Naval Operations, PMA Alumni Association - 1996; two
(2) NDCP Gold Medals; five (5) Distinguished Service Stars; four (4)
Outstanding Achievement Medals; one (1) Distinguished Navy Cross; two
(2) Bronze Cross Medals; eleven (11) Military Merit Medals; and six (6)
Military Commendation Medals. Admiral Varona is a past President of
the PMA Alumni Association (1996- 1997). After his retirement from
active military service, he later joined the civil service where he had
served as a Career Executive Service Officer (CESO III) until his
resignation in March 2007, as Director of the Government Arsenal, a
civilian bureau of the Department of National Defense, to which
position he was appointed in January 2000. He was elected, in 2003, as a member of the Board of Directors of the Riviera Golf Club, Inc. (RGCI), a post he still holds at present; and, as the Club's Treasurer in 2007-2008. Vice Chairman of the AFP Officers’ Village Association, Inc. (AFPOVAI) since 2006, he is currently the President of RGCI to which position he was elected in October 2008.
Rear Admiral Varona is married to the former Miss Portia A Eusebio with
whom he is blessed with three (3) children, namely: Philbert – BS Legal
Management (1993) and Juris Doctor (1997) both at Ateneo de Manila
University and a topnotcher in the 1997 bar exams; Erwin - BS Computer
Science (2001), De La Salle University; and, Fatima - BS Communication
Arts (2003), Assumption College.
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