Battle-tested soldier returns to lead peace in south Luzon

Lt. Gen. Ferdinand Quidilla DELFIN T. MALLARI

A battle-tested Army senior officer, who led his men in the fight against communist rebels in southern Luzon 30 years ago as a young lieutenant, is back on the region’s frontline, this time to carry out President Duterte’s peace initiatives.

“It was considered a badge of honor to be assigned to Southern Tagalog and Bicol [during those days]. The fighting here was intense,” Lt. Gen. Ferdinand Quidilla said on Monday when he took over the military’s Southern Luzon Command (Solcom).

The post was previously held by Gen. Ricardo Visaya, who was appointed Armed Forces chief of staff by the President in July, and Maj. Gen. Romeo Gan, head of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, in an acting capacity.

Peace talks between the Duterte administration and the communist-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines are expected to formally resume on Aug. 22 in Oslo, Norway.

In his command speech, Quidilla recalled his first stint as head of the Army’s 74th Infantry Battalion, based in Quezon province’s Bondoc Peninsula, then one of the most active guerrilla fronts in the country, in 2002. It was the peak of the military campaign against the New People’s Army.

With his new post as top military officer in Southern Tagalog and Bicol, he said he would continue to implement the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) Bayanihan as one of the core programs of the government’s national security strategy.

Launched in 2010, the IPSP Bayanihan is a multisectoral approach to end insurgency in the country, with emphasis on “noncombat operations.”

Solcom will pursue the “rehabilitation and reconstruction of conflict-affected areas,” combining focused military operations and support for community-based peace and development efforts, Quidilla said.

He directed his subordinates to review and study the history of communist insurgency in Southern Tagalog and Bicol.

“Identify the conflict-prone places in your respective areas. Study the data intensively to find ways … to make us all more efficient in attaining the objectives of the IPSP Bayanihan,” he said.

Solcom covers 15 provinces in two regions, with a total population of 15 million.

Quidilla, a native of South Cotabato province, was replaced as head of the 9th ID by Maj. Gen. Manolito Orense.

Visaya, Gan, Quidilla and Orense belong to the Philippine Military Academy’s “Matikas” Class of 1983.