Giovanni Bacordo

Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Jamero Bacordo is a Filipino admiral who was the Chief of the Philippine Navy. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy "Hinirang" Class of 1987. Prior to his post, he served as the commander of the Philippine Fleet.

In September 2022, he was appointed by President Bongbong Marcos to the Department of Energy as an undersecretary in charge of securing the country's energy facilities.

Early life and education Born in La Paz, Iloilo City, he finished preschool at the Assumption Iloilo, finished elementary school at St. Clements College Iloilo, and finished high school at the University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV) Iloilo City in 1981, and stayed at the UPV for almost two years, as an industrial engineering student, before attending the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1983 and graduated as "Magna Cum Laude" (Class Salutatorian) in 1987. He was awarded various distinctions during his graduation, such as the Secretary of National Defense Saber; the Flag Officer in Command, Philippine Navy Saber; Military Sciences Plaque, Mathematics Plaque, among other plaques.

Military background

After graduating at the PMA in 1987, he was assigned to command major ships of the Philippine Navy such as the BRP Juan Magluyan (PC-392), the BRP Rafael Pargas (PC-379), BRP Miguel Malvar (PS-19), and the BRP Rajah Humabon (PS-11). He was also assigned to lead naval forces, such as the Naval Task Force 41 of the AFP Western Command, Naval Task Force 61 and the Naval Task Force ZAMBASULTA of the AFP Western Mindanao Command, Joint Task Force Kingfisher and the Naval Forces Southern Luzon of the AFP Southern Luzon Command.

He also served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff for Operations, N3, in 2013 to 2014, where he oversaw naval operations in the 2013 Lahad Datu standoff, as well as encounters of Chinese Ships at the Ayungin Shoal and in Scarborough Shoal, the sinking of the MV St. Thomas Aquinas, the Zamboanga Siege, the 2013 Bohol earthquake, and the Typhoon Haiyan. He also served as Director of the Center for Naval Leadership and Excellence, where he is a member of the navy commanders who devised the Strategic Sail Plan 2020, the Philippine Navy's primary transformation and organizational development strategy, and the Active Archipelagic Defense Strategy (AADS), the navy's strategic modernization program, which aims to modernize the entire Philippine Navy through the acquisition of new assets, such as frigates, submarines, corvettes, fast attack crafts, patrol boats, auxiliary vessels, shore based missile systems and air defense systems, and additional amphibious vehicles and naval aircraft. He earned his third star and was promoted to vice admiral on April 22, 2020. The position of Flag Officer-in-Command was changed to Chief of the Navy in June 2020.

During his term as the Chief of the Philippine Navy, he also oversaw the overall naval operations amidst the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, the arrival of the 2 Jose Rizal-class frigates, the completion of the mission preparedness training of the navy's two AgustaWestland AW159 Wildcat anti-submarine helicopters; the negotiations for the submarine acquisition project and other asset acquisition projects, which were delayed due to the Pandemic; and the planned acquisition of 5 Cyclone-class patrol ships from the United States Navy. He spearheaded the rehabilitation of the Philippine Navy Museum at Fort San Felipe, Cavite in October 2020.

He retired from military service on June 8, 2021, after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 and reached a total of 38 years (including 4 years as a cadet at the PMA) in military service, and he was replaced by his deputy, Rear Admiral Adelius Bordado.

Awards and decorations

Right Side:

1st row Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation People Power I Unit Citation People Power II Unit Citation Badges and Other Awards:

Australian Command and Staff College Badge Philippine Fleet Commander Badge Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy Commander Badge

Personal life He is also a member of various organizations at the University of the Philippines Visayas, such as being a member of the Board of Directors of “I am UP High” of the UP Iloilo High School at Iloilo City. Known by his peers as "Joby", he is married to Rachel Cruz, and they have 5 children (2 sons and 3 daughters).