Gregorio Pio Catapang

General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. (born July 11, 1959) is a Filipino General. He is the incumbent Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He was the Vice Chief of Staff prior to his appointment as head of the armed forces. He was also the former head of the AFP Northern Luzon Command and 7th Infantry Division. He is part of the Dimalupig Class of the Philippine Military Academy of 1981. He was part of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement.

Early Life and Education
Gregorio "Greg" Pio P. Catapang Jr was born on July 11, 1959 in Manila. He is the second of four children of Gregorio Catapang Sr., a lawyer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Lourdes Punzalan, a CPA for the Department of Finance. He was named after two generals Gregorio del Pilar and Pio del Pilar. Early on in life his parents taught him the value of public service.

He attended Claret School of Quezon City highschool where he was voted as the high school class president. He entered the Philippine Military Academy in 1977 and graduated in 1981. Shortly after graduating from PMA he pursued graduate courses in the University of the Philippines and became a member of Upsilon Sigma Phi.

Military career
He moved on with his career carrying an excellent standard of performance, fine leadership, and a keen vision that resulted in accomplishments, both in garrison and field tours of duty. He held positions of major responsibility, such as: Commander of the 7th Infantry (Kaugnay) Division, Philippine Army, Commander, 703Bde, 7ID, PA from September 6, 2010 to October 3, 2012; Battalion Commander of 28IB, 4ID, PA from November 20 1999 to March 3, 2001; Battalion Commander of HHSBn, 4ID, PA from March 3, 2001 to December 17, 2001; Ac of S for Operations, G3, 8ID, PA from July 16 2002 to February 1, 2003; ACUCS for CMO, U7, NOLCOM, AFP in February 19 2003 to May 12 2003; ACUCS for Operations, U3, NOLCOM, AFP from May 12, 2003 to October 24, 2005; and Chief of Unified Command Staff, NOLCOM, AFP on May 15, 2005 to Oct 24, 2005.

His professional military training include: Intel Officers Basic Course at the SITS, ISAFP in 1982; Infantry Officers Advance Course at Combat Arms School, TCPA in 1992; Command and General Staff Course at the Training and Doctrine Command at Fort Bonifacio in 2002; Australian and Military Familiarization Course and ADC Preparation Course at the Defence International Training Center in Australia, in 2005; Defence and Strategic Studies Course at the Australian Defence College in 2006; Symposium on National Security and Strategy at NDU, PLA, China in 2007; and Change Management Workshop and Strategic Communications at the Australian Defense Coop Program in 2008.

Involvement in RAM
He was 27 years old, barely five years out of the Philippine Military Academy, when he made the boldest decision of his life: he joined after-office-hours meetings of rebel officers who eventually formed the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM). Credit goes to him for coining the acronym REFORM (Restore Ethics, Fairmindedness, Order, Righteousness, and Morale), the initial name of the group of reformist officers in the Armed Forces that eventually became known as RAM. In the four days of the revolution, Catapang, then an Army lieutenant, was assigned to the rebel force that protected the Radio Veritas station in Quezon City. The antigovernment forces used Radio Veritas to broadcast their statements and activities during those crucial days. Catapang and other officers eventually seized the government TV station, Channel 4, which was forced to cover the opposition.

His wife was pregnant with their first baby then, yet he was “prepared to die for this cause.” He had thought then that he would have a “replacement”—his son Gabriel Juan Paulo, who was born seven months after the revolution.

After EDSA, Catapang recommended the disbandment of RAM because he thought that “it was becoming a divisive movement.” While his dreams of key reforms in the AFP were “immediately fulfilled” after EDSA, he admits that his idealism diminished because of the military’s continued flirtation with politics.

Communist Insurgency
He was instrumental in the normalization of Northern and Central Luzon. As an Army captain he helped transform Porac from a hotbed of communist insurgency to peaceful municipality. As a General by the time he left as NOLCOM Command he was able to declare Central Luzon as peaceful and ready for further development

Climate Change
He was given recognition for his contribution to the relief operations for the survivors of Tropical Storm “Ondoy” in 2009. At the time, he was assigned to the Office of Civil Defense.

Chief of Staff
In his talk to men tour he urged the troops to strictly adhere to the AFP’s slogan of “Kawal DISIPLINADO, bawal ABUSADO, dapat ASINTADO”. These three key words are acronyms that spell out the dos and don’ts to be followed by every AFP personnel for them “to become proficient in fire and maneuver and be able to avoid collateral damage; be respectful of human rights, adhere to international humanitarian law and rule of law, as well as the rules of engagement of the IPSP Bayanihan.”

He vows to continue modernization of Armed Forces from flying coffin helicopters and "Itali Yan" navy to a strong navies and air forces.

He promised to enhance the anti-insurgency campaign dubbed as Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP), especially against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF)

Personal Life
His nationalism is reflected in his children's names.

Rally - born in 1984 Rev (revolution) - born in 1986 Coup'dy (coup d'etat) - born in 1987 Ysa (Pagkakaisa) - born in 1993