SP hails WESCOM’s Col. Cabanlet for Outstanding Filipino award

THE 20th City Council during its 7th regular session Monday presided over by Vice Mayor Jocelyn B. Rodriguez, commended and congratulated Col. Stephen L. Cabanlet, GSC (General Staff Course), Phil. Navy-Marines, for being one of the 2022 Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipino awardees, thereby giving pride and honor to the city.

Councilor Romeo V. Calizo, chair of the committee on public order and safety, said Cabanlet is the Assistant Chief of the United Command Staff for Operations in the West Philippine Sea of the Western Command.

He is a full-blooded home-grown Kagay-anon and had his early education here until he joined the military service, the councilor reported.

Colonel Cabanlet belongs to the Phil. Military Academy Class of 1996. He pursued three graduate studies; Master of Arts in Education major in Physical Education; Master of Public Management major in Development and Security at the Development Academy of the Philippines and Master in International Studies at the Deakin University in Australia.

He is also an alumnus of the Defense and Strategic Studies at the Australian War College, Calizo added.

He was best known for pioneering the Football for Peace Program in Sulu Province in 2011 when he was the Operations Officer of the Marine Battalion.

The program enticed the youth to sports as it promoted peaceful co-existence, camaraderie, teamwork, sportsmanship, and discipline. This approach, which veered the youth away from joining lawless groups, was adopted by other AFP units and some LGUs and was recognized as an efficient tool in preventing and countering violence and extremism by even the European Union, Calizo added.

The councilor proposed that Col. Cabanlet be invited to the plenary so that appropriate recognition in its best form can be personally afforded to him.