President Rodrigo Roa Duterte designated the commander of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division as the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Northern Luzon Command (NolCom).
Major General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., a skilled rebel fighter, was formally installed during a ceremony vice Lt. Gen. Ramiro Manuel Rey, who is set to retire from the service.
Burgos was credited for bringing the New People’s Army on “the verge of collapse” in Southern Tagalog.
A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988, Burgos was the former commander of the Army’s Southern Luzon Command in charge of Southern Tagalog, including Mindoro and Romblon.
AFP chief of staff Gen. Gilbert Gapay, who presided over the change-of-command ceremony, congratulated Burgos “for his well-deserved designation and impending promotion to three-star.”
Gapay said Burgos has the credentials and experience to ensure the success of military operations in the northern part of the country.
“Continue the AFP’s operational momentum in this critical part of our land by ensuring efficient inter-operability between and among the different services, which are now under your command,” Gapay told the new NolCom commander.
Burgos accepted the challenge of bringing a new direction to the campaign against the rebels in the whole of Northern Luzon as he reaffirmed his “commitment to the AFP’s most solemn oath of serving our people and protecting our sovereignty wherever, whenever, whatever or whoever the threat may be.”
“I am bringing with me the learnings and experiences that I accumulated in my more than 36 years of military service as well as the innovations, approaches and best practices from the immediate south of Metro Manila, which has pushed the once mighty Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee on the verge of irrecoverable defeat,” Burgos said as he expressed his gratitude to the President for the trust and confidence in his abilities as military commander.