New WESCOM chief promises more military efforts for Palawan dev't

From the Philippine News Agency (Apr 1): New WESCOM chief promises more military efforts for Palawan dev't

The new chief of the Western Command, Maj. Gen. Rustico Guerrero guaranteed Monday to double military efforts in Palawan to help it achieve its mission in the province.

Guerrero, who formally replaced Lt. Gen. Juancho Sabban as the WESCOM commander on April 1, said with a “doubled military effort,” he will continue focusing on the three major aspects of developmental support for the province: that of ensuring territorial integrity of the areas under the command's jurisdiction, enhancing disaster response management, and strengthening partnerships with the civil groups.

"We will address the internal security concerns, we will continue to support the environmental groups and local government units' initiatives to sustain environmental protection efforts and, of course, we will find ways to further enhance disaster response in the province," Guerrero assured.

He said these tasks are not new to him, having served as PMC commandant prior to appointment as WESCOM chief because he has been undertaking the same in other parts of the countries where he was assigned.

"We will put the right people on the ground and we will assure you that [the military] will continue working with the people of Palawan to achieve the purpose of our presence here [in the province]," the newly-installed WESCOM commanding general said.

Guerrero also said he is not daunted by the challenges posed by limited resources that WESCOM has at its disposal because he believes the men and women of the different units under unified commands can augment its lack of physical assets.

The marine officer, however, stressed that “the cooperation of the local community is an essential factor in ensuring the success of the military's mission.”

He appeals to the public to observe the spirit of "bayanihan" or communal volunteerism that is the core of the military's Internal Peace and Security Plan.

Guerrero previously served as commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade and as superintendent of the Marine Corps Training Center. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1981.

He finished his Masters of Military Study and Command and Staff College in Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, USA; took up Foreign Officers Tactical Intelligence Course in Queensland, Australia, and tactical, operational and strategic command courses in various military institutions in the country.

Prior to his assumption as commandant on August 24, 2010, he was the commander of the Joint Task Force Comet for almost one year in Sulu.

http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=2&sid=&nid=2&rid=511957