Eulogio Balao

Eulogio Balauitan Balao (born March 11, 1907 in Tuguegarao , Cagayan , † 1977 ) was a Filipino officer and politician who was temporarily defense minister and a senator for a term .

Life

Balao graduated from high school in Tuguegarao in 1926, the entrance examination for the military academy ( Philippine Military Academy ), but was deferred for a year because of his age and in the meantime joined the police ( Philippine Constabulary ) as a private . In June 1927 he entered the military academy as a graduate and after graduating in 1931 was transferred to Laguna as a third class lieutenant , where he was wounded in the uprising in central Luzon in Santa Rosa .

In 1936 Balao was promoted to sub- lieutenant and initially worked as an instructor at the Philippine Constabulary Academy before he graduated from the US Army Officers School at Fort Benning , Georgia . After his return to the Philippines he was promoted to captain in 1941 and initially found employment as an administrative officer in the 2nd  Infantry Unit in Mindanao under the command of General Calixto Duque . After that he was an instructor at the military academy.

During the Pacific War in World War II , he was transferred to the United States Army Forces, Far East (USAFFE) and took over the role of Commanding Officer of the 11th Infantry Battalion of the 11th Division. In the following years he organized this unit and after further training led it in various combat missions. The unit inflicted heavy losses on troops of the Imperial Japanese Army under General Yamashita Tomoyuki during the Battle of Bessang Pass on June 14, 1945 .

After the end of the war, Balao was promoted to colonel and subsequently commanded numerous combat missions against the Hukbalahap in central and south Luzon. In 1949 he took over the role of military attaché at the embassy in the People's Republic of China and was promoted to brigadier general in 1953 .

Due to his military merits, bravery and experience, he was on 11 March 1954 to the Vice-Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( Armed Forces of the Philippines ) appointed and held this position until he on 3 January 1956 by President Ramon Magsaysay as successor from Sotero B. Cabahug to Secretary of National Defense . He also held this ministerial office in the government of Magsaysay's successor Carlos P. Garcia until he was replaced by Jesus M. Vargas on August 27, 1957.

Subsequently, Balao successfully ran for a seat in the Senate , which he held for a legislative period from December 30, 1957 to December 30, 1963.

For his many years of service he was awarded the Distinguished Service Star and commander of the Philippine Legion of Honor .

Web links

• Biography (Homepage of the Philippine Senate)
• Biography (Ministry of Defense homepage)