Army brigade commander relieved

After serving 13 months in Zamboanga Sibugay, Brigadier General Santiago Baluyot, commander of the Army’s 102nd Brigade, was relieved from his post.

Baluyot, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1982, said he did not know why he was relieved or where his next assignment would be.

“But whatever the reason for my relief, I respect the decision,” he said.

Zamboanga Sibugay is site of recent skirmishes between government forces and Moro rebels.

Baluyot said he was confident his command would be in the hands of “a better commander, a seasoned officer,” Colonel Gerry Barrientos, deputy commander of the 104th Army Brigade based in Lanao del Norte.

Barrientos, who belongs to PMA Class 1983, “has all the necessary qualifications to head the brigade,” Baluyot said. Julie Alipala, Inquirer Mindanao