Vicente Piccio, Jr.

Ret. Maj. Gen. Vicente M. Piccio (born on March 1, 1927 in Iloilo City, Iloilo) was the Philippine Air Force chief during the final years of the Marcos dictatorship. He lost effective control of the Air Force during the 1986 EDSA revolution with the defection of a number of helicopter pilots that provided air cover for the rebel troops under then Defense Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and Lt. Gen. Fidel V. Ramos, then head of the now defunct paramilitary group known as the Philippine Constabulary.

The loss of the elite Air Force pilots, analysts and historians say, was key to the eventual success of the four-day civilian backed revolt that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.

Piccio was also responsible for issuing in 1985 a directive banning air force personnel from travelling or gaining employment abroad “without presidential clearance or authority.” [Zamora, Fe B. 23 October 2005. [http://news.inq7.net/opinion/index.php?index=1&story_id=54221 Moonlighting] . "Philippine Daily Inquirer." Makati.]

He is the father of Philip Piccio, head of the [http://www.pepcoalition.com/ PEP Coalition] .

References

External links

* [http://www.paf.mil.ph/CGPAF/piccio.html Biography of the "Systems General" Vicente M. Piccio] , from the Philippine Air Force website