New military commanders announced
MANILA, Philippines–The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a new commander for its Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) who will oversee all military forces involved in security operations against Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and communist rebels.
Major General Jorge Segovia is the incoming Eastmincom commanding general, replacing Lieutenant General Arthur Tabaquero who will retire on April 17.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1980, Segovia is currently commander of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division based in Davao City.
Prior to that, he was commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division based in Tanay, Rizal.
It was under Segovia’s watch as 2ID commander when military and police operatives arrested 43 suspected New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in a resort in Morong, Rizal, on Feb. 6, 2010.
As militant groups insisted that the suspects were rural health workers, then newly installed President Aquino ordered the suspects released in December that year as a confidence building measure prior to resuming peace talks with the communists.
Segovia will be replaced as 10ID commander by Brigadier General Ariel Bernardo, the current chairman of the government panel in the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
Bernardo also served as deputy commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division based in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao.
Brigadier General Gerardo Layug has assumed command of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan City in Samar. He replaced Major Geneneral Mario Chan who retired last April 8.
Layug was the immediate former deputy commander of the AFP Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) which is heavily into counter-terrorism operations against the Abu Sayyaf and other bandit groups.
Meanwhile, Commodore Roberto V. Santos has assumed the helm of the Naval Forces Central based in Lapu-Lapu City in Cebu.
Santos, who was the AFP Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for education and training (AJ8), replaced Commodore Zyril Carlos who has recently been assigned as chief of the AFP Procurement Center.
The AFP also announced the appointment of eight other senior officers to major command positions due to the retirement of the incumbent commanders.
The appointments have all been formally approved by President Aquino.
These are Navy Captain Franco Sebastian as the new deputy commander of the AFP Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) based in Lucena City in Quezon, replacing Commodore Rosauro Arnel Gonzales Jr. who will retire on April 29;
Col Teodorico Raqueno will replace Commodore Santos as the AFP Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for education and training (AJ8);
Colonel Arnulfo Marcos as the new assistant commander of the Army’s 5th Infantry Division based in Gamu, Isabela;
Colonel Sanny Gadot as the new commander of the Army’s 502nd Infantry Battalion, replacing Colonel Marcos;
Colonel Eusaquito Manalo as commander of the 570th Composite Tactical Wing of the Philippine Air Force (PAF);
Colonel Andre Tanyag as the AFP Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (AJ3), replacing Colonel Manalo;
Colonel Danilo Penafiel as commander of the PAF’s 355th Air Education and Training Wing; and
Colonel Conrado Parra as the new deputy commander of the PAF’s Air Education and Training Command (AETC).
