Cardozo Manalo Luna (born September 7, 1953) is a retired three-star general and the 35th Vice Chief of Staff of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...

. Cardozo Luna also served as the commander of two unified commands, Eastern Mindanao Command and Central Command. He served as the Philippine

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

from 2009 until 2010 He was Undersecretary of

Department of National Defense A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

from 2017-2022.

Background

Cardozo was born to lawyer and retired colonel (

Philippine Constabulary The Philippine Constabulary (PC; , ''HPP''; ) was a gendarmerie-type military police force of the Philippines from 1901 to 1991, and the predecessor to the Philippine National Police. It was created by the Insular Government, American occupat ...

) Raymundo V. Luna and his wife, Teofista M. Luna. He was born in

San Ildefonso San Ildefonso (), La Granja (), or La Granja de San Ildefonso, is a town and municipality in the Province of Segovia, in the Castile and León autonomous region of central Spain. It is located in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama moun ...

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

and raised in Santo Tomas,

Batangas Batangas, officially the Province of Batangas ( ), is a first class province of the Philippines located in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Calabarzon region. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,908,494 people, making ...

where he graduated consistently on top of his elementary and high school classes. Owing to Colonel Luna's profession as a lawyer, his son Cardozo is named after

Benjamin N. Cardozo Benjamin Nathan Cardozo (May 24, 1870 – July 9, 1938) was an American lawyer and jurist who served on the New York Court of Appeals from 1914 to 1932 and as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1932 until his deat ...

, the renowned Associate Justice of the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

who significantly contributed to the development of American Civil Law in the 20th century. He descended from the Luna clans of Badoc, Ilocos Norte where the ancestry of

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipinos, Filipino army general and a pharmacist who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination on June 5, 1899, at the age ...

and

Juan Luna Juan Luna de San Pedro y Novicio (, ; October 25, 1857 – December 7, 1899) was a Filipino painter, sculptor and a political activism, activist of the Philippine Revolution during the late 19th century. He became one of the first recog ...

, members of the 1896

Philippine Revolution The Philippine Revolution ( or ; or ) was a war of independence waged by the revolutionary organization Katipunan against the Spanish Empire from 1896 to 1898. It was the culmination of the 333-year History of the Philippines (1565–1898), ...

also came from. He is married to Mrs. Joyce Marcelina Espinosa Siongco Luna. She is the daughter of Brig. General Gonzalo H. Siongco, the first Commanding General of the

6th Infantry (Kampilan) Division The 6th Infantry Division is an infantry division of the Philippine Army. Popularly known as the Kampilan Division, it is one of the Philippine Army's infantry units in Central Mindanao. History The division was established on October 24, 1987 ...

. Cardozo and Joyce have two sons and three daughters.

Education

Cardozo is a member of the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( / ) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It was established on Decembe ...

"''Makabayan''" Class of 1975, graduated number 6 in a class of 91. Prior to his admission to PMA as a cadet, Cardozo Luna entered Mapúa Institute of Technology taking up

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads ...

. While already in the service, he pursued post-graduate courses in the Philippines and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. He graduated with Masters in Economics Development from the

University of the Philippines The University of the Philippines (UP; ) is a Higher education in the Philippines#State universities and colleges, state university system in the Philippines. It is the country's national university, as mandated by List of Philippine laws, Re ...

. He also obtained his second graduate degree of Master of Arts in Economics Planning and poised to complete his Doctoral Degree in Regional Economics at the prestigious Ivy League business school of the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

. He is a member of the prestigious Wharton-Penn Club of the Philippines. He is also a Defense Diplomacy Fellow in

Cranfield University Cranfield University is a postgraduate-only public research university in the United Kingdom that specialises in science, engineering, design, technology and management. Cranfield was founded as the College of Aeronautics (CoA) in 1946. Throug ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Other than being touted as an academic giant in the military, Cardozo also excelled in his military education and training record. He attained top honors when he took the PC Officers Basic Course, PC Officers Advance Course (August 1988), and the AFP Command and General Staff Course and the Joint Command and Staff Course in April 1995 at the

Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College The Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College, known officially as the AFPCGSC or GSC, () is one of the training units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is tasked with training future generals, as well as general ...

Military career

Upon graduation from the academy, Cardozo was commissioned as Second Lieutenant and joined the

. He spent most of his junior-officer's years in

Mindanao Mindanao ( ) is the List of islands of the Philippines, second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and List of islands by population, seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the ...

. After his stint in Mindanao, he served as Junior Staff at AFP General Headquarters & Headquarters Service Command and at

. He was also assigned as a Junior Staff at the

defense attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, USA from 1981 until 1984. Upon his return to the country, he served as Vice President of the Armed Forces & Police Mutual Benefit Association (AFPMBAI) and, soon after, as Vice President/Assistant General Manager of the Armed Forces & Police Savings and Loan Association Inc. (AFPSLAI). In 1987, he assumed as the District Commander of the Philippine Constabulary 1st District, Regional Command (RECOM) 4 and later served as the Commanding Officer of the 214th PC Coy, RECOM 4 in

. Among the significant positions he held in the past were: Defense Intelligence Security Group and Military Intelligence Group (MIG) Commander; Battalion Commander of the 37th Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division in Mindanao from November 16, 1995 to May 16, 1997; Assistant Chief of Staff of the Civil Military Operations (G7) of the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

from November 18, 1997 to July 23, 1999; Commanding Officer of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division from June 28, 2001 to April 16, 2002. Upon promotion to star-rank, he assumed positions of higher responsibility as Commanding General of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, 6th Infantry Division from April 16, 2002 to July 25, 2003; Commandant of Cadets and Head, Tactics Group of the Philippine Military Academy from July 21, 2003 to October 18, 2004; Commanding General, Training and Doctrine Command from October 25, 2004 to November 7, 2005; Commanding General of the

4th Infantry (Diamond) Division The 4th Infantry Division, Philippine Army, known officially as the Diamond Division, is one of the Philippine Army's infantry units in Northern Mindanao. History On January 15, 1946, right after the World War II, upon the reestablishment of the ...

from November 2, 2005 to August 10, 2006; Commander of the AFP Central Command based in

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu, is a Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 964,169 people, making ...

from August 2, 2006 to August 30, 2007 where he also supervised the security of the ASEAN Summit protecting 18 Heads of State; and Commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command based in

Davao City Davao City, officially the City of Davao, is a City of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Davao Region, Philippines. The city has a total land area of , making it the List of Philippine cities and municipalities ...

from August 31, 2007 to May 16, 2008. During his stint as the Commanding General of the AFP EastMinCom, he commanded and controlled 3 Army Infantry Divisions, a Naval Force, a Tactical Operations Wing, and several AFP Wide Service Support Units in Eastern Mindanao whose area of responsibility covers Regions 10, 11, 12,

Caraga Region Caraga, officially the Caraga Administrative Region (or simply known as Caraga region) and designated as Region XIII, is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines occupying the northeastern section of Mindanao. Th ...

, and three provinces of ARMM such as:

Maguindanao Maguindanao (; Maguindanaon: ''Dairat nu Magindanaw''; Iranun: ''Perobinsia a Magindanao''; ) was a province of the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). From 2014 to 2022, its provincial capital ...

, Sharif Kabunsuan, and

Lanao del Sur Lanao del Sur (; Meranaw and ; Jawi ''(Batang Arab)'': ), officially the Province of Lanao del Sur, is a province in the Philippines located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). The capital is the city of Marawi (th ...

, consisting of not less than 25,000 uniformed personnel and civilian employees of the AFP. Luna is a recipient of various military awards and decorations (including the Distinguished Service Star), numerous Letters of Commendations from various military officers and Resolutions from Chief Executives of government agencies and Local Government Units for his valuable services rendered as an officer and a gentleman. Col. Cardozo Luna, head of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, captured a key rebel stronghold of the

Moro Islamic Liberation Front The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF; ) is an Islamist group based in Mindanao, Philippines, which sought an autonomous region of the Moro people from the central government. The group has a presence in the Bangsamoro region of Mindanao, t ...

on February 14, 2003. The stronghold is located in Buliok complex in Cotabato and Maguindanao, part of a major offensive on the southern island of Mindanao. After the successful campaign, Luna earned his first star as Brigadier General. Brig. Gen. Cardozo M. Luna, 56th

Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...

of the Philippine Military Academy, changed the required uniforms of the cadets from the

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

-inspired military cut to the ''

rayadillo () is a blue-and-white striped cotton or flannel material that was used to make the military uniforms worn by Spanish colonial soldiers from the later 19th century until the early 20th century. It was commonly worn by soldiers posted in overse ...

'', the same uniform that was designed by

and was worn by the Filipino forefathers during the Philippine revolution against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The newly installed Central Command chief, Maj. Gen. Cardozo Luna vowed to reduce the threat posed by the

New People's Army The New People's Army (; abbreviated NPA or BHB) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). It acts as the CPP's principal organization, aiming to consolidate political power from what it sees as the present "bourgeo ...

, armed wing of the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP; ) is a far-left, Marxist–Leninist–Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. The CPP has been fighting a gue ...

, to an "inconsequential level through simultaneous in-depth operations" in the

Visayas The Visayas ( ), or the Visayan Islands (Bisayan languages, Visayan: ''Kabisay-an'', ; Filipino language, Filipino: ''Kabisayaan'' ), are one of the three Island groups of the Philippines, principal geographical divisions of the Philippines, a ...

region (

Panay Panay is the sixth-largest and fourth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of and a total population of 4,542,926, as of 2020 census. Panay comprises 4.4 percent of the entire population of the country. The City of Il ...

Negros Negros (, , ) is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . The coastal zone of the southern part of Negros is identified as a site of highest marine biodiversity importance in the Coral Tr ...

Cebu Cebu ( ; ), officially the Province of Cebu (; ), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. The coastal zone of Cebu is identified as a ...

Bohol Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol (; ), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas Regions of the Philippines, region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. It is home to Bohola ...

Samar Samar ( ) is the third-largest and seventh-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 1,909,537 as of the 2020 census. It is located in the eastern Visayas, which are in the central Philippines. The island is divided in ...

and

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has been ...

). Upon assuming one of the largest military commands in the Philippines in August 2006, Luna issued guidelines for military commanders in the Visayas, that include strengthening of

Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit The Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit,https://militiasdb.sowi.uni-mannheim.de/militias-public/pgag/148/evidence/ variously called Citizens Armed Forces Geographical Unit, Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit and commonly referred to by its ...

battalions, implementation of a long range patrol concept and conduct of regular patrols, effective unit leadership, activation of Civil Military Operations Company and task group, and tapping the services of military reservists, police and local government units as well. he always emphasized the respect for human rights in all conduct of military operations. After a successful stint in the central region of the country in 2006, Eastern Mindanao Command chief, Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna, together with other top military officials in Mindanao, expressed the need to institutionalize trainings on peace building and conflict management to help bring about peace in the south. However, Luna stressed that peace trainings should be documented and validated by appropriate agencies to see if the trainings and efforts could be replicated by other units. According to Luna, sustaining the peace building efforts should be maintained even after change of commands of military units across the country. On August 10, 2008, when rogue MILF forces conducted atrocities as a result of the botched Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, military troops led by Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna, Joint Force Mindanao commander, regained control of two

North Cotabato Cotabato, formerly and still commonly referred to as North Cotabato and officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in the Philippines located in the Soccsksargen region in Mindanao. Its capital is the city of Kidapawan, the ...

villages from Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels and pressed ahead with a massive assault to clear 13 others. The fighting has forced about 130,000 villagers to flee their homes. On August 28, 2008, Luna led the invasion of Camp Bilal, a major Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebel camp in

Lanao del Norte Lanao del Norte ( Cebuano: ''Amihanang Lanao''; ; Maranao: ''Pangotaraan Ranao''), officially the Province of Lanao del Norte, is a province in the Philippines located in the Northern Mindanao region. Its capital is Tubod. The province border ...

, the headquarters of Commander Macapaar, the leader of the attacks on five Lanao del Norte towns. During the 73rd Anniversary Ceremony of the AFP at Camp Aguinaldo on December 22, 2008, the

Philippine Legion of Honor The Philippine Legion of Honor (; ) was established by President Manuel Roxas, through Philippine Army Circular No. 60 dated July 3, 1947. The Philippine Legion of Honour, Honor was patterned after the Legion of Merit of the United States of Amer ...

(PLOH) degree of Commander was awarded to Luna for leading government troops that fought rogue Moro fighters including the successful campaign at Camp Bilal and the Lanao provinces.

Awards in military service

Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation The Philippine Presidential Unit citation BadgeThe AFP Adjutant General, ''Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 65. is a unit decoration of the Republic of the Philippines. It has been awarded to certain units of the United States ...

People Power I Unit Citation * PHL People Power II Unit Citation

People Power II Ribbon The term "the people" refers to the public or common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. In contrast, a ...

Martial Law Unit Citation * PHL Distinguished Service Star BAR

Distinguished Service Star The Distinguished Service Star is the third highest military award of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is awarded for eminently meritorious and valuable service rendered while holding a position of great responsibility. Description of the ...

s *

Officer,

Outstanding Achievement Medal The Outstanding Achievement MedalThe AFP Adjutant General, ''AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 23. is a single grade decoration of the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archi ...

s *

Gawad sa Kaunlaran The Gawad sa Kaunlaran () is awarded by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Area Command, and Major Service Commanders to Philippine citizens. It is the second highest distinction presented by the Armed Forces of the Philip ...

Bronze Cross Medal The Bronze Cross MedalThe AFP Adjutant General, ''AFP Awards and Decorations Handbook'', 1997, OTAG, p. 29. is a single grade military decoration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines which is awarded for "heroism involving risk of life" under c ...

Military Merit Medals with two bronze spearhead devices and three bronze anahaws * PHL Military Commendation

Military Commendation Medal The Military Commendation Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is presented for exemplary execution of military duty. Description The medal is a three-pointed star, made of bronze color ...

s *

Military Civic Action Medal The Military Civic Action Medal is a military decoration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is awarded for meritorious achievement in the conduct of humanitarian civic actions in direct support military operations. Criteria The Military C ...

Sagisag ng Ulirang Kawal The Sagisag ng Ulirang Kawal is a military decoration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is awarded to the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for conspicuous performance of non-military activities and community development pr ...

Long Service Medal * Anti-dissidence Campaign Medal *

Luzon Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal * PHL Visayas Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal ribbon

Visayas Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal *

Mindanao Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal *

Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation Operations Ribbon * Combat Commander's Badge * PA Special Forces Qualification Badge

Special Forces Special forces or special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

Qualification Badge

Diplomatic career

Originally set to retire on September 7, 2009, he retired four months early to be the Filipino ambassador to the Netherlands, a post he was appointed to on May 20, 2009. and assumed on August 6, 2009. He was appointed Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international agency, located in The Hague, Netherlands. He also became the Governor of the Common Fund for Commodities, a UN funded organization assisting Third World countries to increase food production. The Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. (PMAAAI), awarded Luna the Cavalier Outstanding Achievement Award in 2010. On September 30, 2010, Luna left his post in the Netherlands and was ordered to report back to the Philippines.

Civilian career

On May 26, 2012, Cardozo became president and chief executive officer of the Armed Forces and Police Savings & Loan Association (AFPSLAI), a private, non-stock and non-profit savings and loan association established in 1972. It is supervised by the

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (; commonly abbreviated as BSP in both Filipino and English) is the central bank of the Philippines. It was established on January 3, 1949, and then re-established on July 3, 1993 pursuant to the provision of Re ...

and provides financial products and allied services to the

Philippine National Police The Philippine National Police (PNP; ) is the national police force of the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Currently, it has approximately 228,000 personnel to police a pop ...

Bureau of Jail Management and Penology The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP; ) is an attached agency of the Department of the Interior and Local Government mandated to direct, supervise and control the administration and operation of all district, city and municipal jai ...

, and

Bureau of Fire Protection The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP; ) is the government body in the Philippines responsible for firefighting services. It is under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Functions and duties The BFP is respons ...

. Cardozo was the President and CEO until September 9, 2013. Cardozo remained o the Board of Trustees as Vice Chairman until June 2016.

National Defense Undersecretary

In July 2016, he was appointed Undersecretary of National Defense.

References

External links

Department of National DefenseEmbassy of the Philippines: The Hague, Netherlands

Armed Forces of the Philippines
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luna, Cardozo 1953 births People from Bulacan People from Batangas Filipino generals Philippine Military Academy alumni Mapúa University alumni University of the Philippines alumni Wharton School alumni Living people Ambassadors of the Philippines to the Netherlands Permanent representatives of the Philippines to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration Recipients of the Distinguished Service Star Recipients of the Philippine Legion of Honor Recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Medal Recipients of the Bronze Cross Medal Recipients of the Military Merit Medal (Philippines) Recipients of the Military Commendation Medal Recipients of the Military Civic Action Medal Arroyo administration personnel Duterte administration personnel Filipino judges of international courts and tribunals