Gazmin was born on October 22, 1944, in the town of Moncada, Tarlac (95 kilometers north of Manila), to Brig. Gen. Segundo L. Gazmin Sr., PA and Petra T. Gazmin. His father also had a distinguished career in the Philippine Army, and was a survivor of the Bataan Death March during the Second World War before joining the now-defunct Philippine Constabulary.
