NEW OCDTS CHIEF. Col. Angelica de Lara-Torres (left) receives the symbol of the Office of the Chief Dental Service of the AFP from deputy chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Erickson Gloria (right) in a ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Wednesday (Feb. 26, 2020). She is the wife of retired Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Torres who served as OTCDS chief from 2007 to 2014. (Photo courtesy of AFP Public Affairs Office)
MANILA — The Office of the Chief Dental Service (OTCDS) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a new head.
Col. Angelica de Lara-Torres replaced on Wednesday acting chief Col. Enrique Pacifico Pabayo in a change of office ceremony at the AFP Commissioned Officers Country, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
She is the wife of retired Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Torres who headed the OTCDS from 2007 to 2014.
Prior to her appointment, Torres served as Chief of the Air Force Dental Service since 2018. She entered the military service on May 14, 1993, and was commissioned to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
She completed her Dental Medicine degree at the Cebu Doctors College in Cebu City in 1990. She also holds three Master's Degrees – Development and Security, Public Administration, and Dentistry.
Torres is a recipient of numerous awards and honors including a Meritorious Achievement Medal, Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal and Ribbon, Award of the Distinguished Service Medal, Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Badge, and various military merit medals.
"This is a first in AFP history as both husband and wife were appointed in the same military position in different terms," AFP public affairs office chief, Capt. Jonathan Zata said in a statement.
The ceremony was presided over by AFP deputy chief-of-staff, Lt. Gen. Erickson Gloria.
“I would like to thank Colonel Pabayo for keeping watch of the OTCDS even in just a short span of time. He has done a commendable job in ensuring that the innovations that were established by his predecessors be sustained and further improved,” Gloria said.
Gloria also welcomed de Lara-Torres as the new OTCDS chief and lauded her leadership capabilities.
“With an impeccable track record and impressive achievements during her military career, Colonel Torres is definitely a reliable leader capable of guiding the Office of the Dental Service to greater milestones in the future as well as institute improvements in providing quality dental service for the AFP personnel,” Gloria said. (PNA)
