‘Marawi hero’ is new commander of Army’s 1st Infantry Division

Lieutenant General Gilbert I. Gapay, Army Commanding General, hand over the unit flag of the 1st Infantry Division to the new Division Commander, Brigadier General Generoso M. Ponio during Friday’s change of command in Camp Major Cesar Sang-an, Labangan, Zamboanga de Sur. Photo by Richel V. Umel, Inquirer Mindanao

LABANGAN, ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR –– A military officer who took part in the liberation of Marawi City from the hands of Islamic State-linked militants in 2017 is the new commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, which covers the Zamboanga Peninsula and Lanao provinces.

Brigadier General Generoso Ponio assumed the post during the change of command rites Friday at Camp Major Cesar Sang-an here.

Ponio, of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1988, is the 49th Division Commander, taking over the post from Major General Roberto Ancan, who was promoted as commander of the Central Command based in Cebu City.

Lieutenant General Gilbert I. Gapay, Army commanding general, presided over the turnover rites.

He cited Ponio’s role in the liberation of Marawi City in 2017.

Gapay also commended Ancan for dismantling two guerrilla fronts of the communist New People’s Army in the Zamboanga Peninsula, and for overseeing the peaceful conduct of the 2019 midterm polls whereby no civilians were harmed.

Gapay reminded the regional Army command to sustain the momentum of peacekeeping efforts “and uphold the dignity of the Philippine Army.”/lzb