Army unit in Albay has new chief

From the Philippine News Agency (Feb 1): Army unit in Albay has new chief

A new commanding officer for the Philippine Army’s (PA) 2nd Infantry Battalion (2IB) was installed in a simple turnover ceremony inside the command base in Barangay Tula-Tula in this city on Friday. After more than 21 months of leading the battalion, Lt. Col. Audrey Pacia has been replaced by Lt. Col. Andrew Costelo, his classmate at the Philippine Military Academy. The 2IB is the contingent of the Army overseeing the province of Albay on threats to security.

The turnover ceremony was officiated by Brig. Gen. Ricardo Visaya, commanding officer of PA’s 2nd Infantry Division based in Pili, Camarines Sur. Costelo was Visaya’s former G7 (chief for civil-military operations) prior to his assignment as battalion commanding officer.

There has been no identified position yet for Pacia after the turnover of command. “It’s normal in the Army to have ‘changing of the guards’ from time to time. None of them is demoted but both are sure that this event is part of adding more color and life in their service,” Visaya said.

Visaya commended Pacia’s leadership as being part and parcel of the improvements on security and developments in Albay. He challenged Costelo to either sustain or exceed his predecessor’s accomplishments.

Visaya’s top two marching orders for Costelo is to prioritize security operations during this year’s election period - especially in the 3rd district of Albay that includes this city and the towns of Libon, Polangui, Jovellar, Guinobatan, Oas and Pio Duran, and to stop killings and extortion activities perpetrated by members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the area.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=493376