Military names new LRR commander

From the Daily Tribune (Apr 18): Military names new LRR commander

A military official, who was probed for the 2011 Basilan debacle that resulted in the killing of 19 Special Forces (SF) personnel, was named as incoming commander of the elite counter-terrorism Light Reaction Regiment (LRR).

Col. Alexander Macario is set to assume as LRR commander on April 26.

Macario was the commander of the Special Operations Task Force Basilan when 19 SF soldiers, including four junior officers, were killed in a clash with combined Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Al Barka, Basilan.

On Oct. 18, 2011, elements of the 4th SF Battalion were deployed for a law enforcement operation against an Abu Sayyaf leader but were pinned down by combined MILF and Abu Sayyaf fighters.

Macario was probed by a court martial but was cleared.

Two other officers – Col. Amikandra Undog, then Special Forces commander, and Lt. Col. Leonardo Pena, then 4th SF Battalion commander, faced court martial proceedings for violation of Articles of War 96 or conduct unbecoming a gentleman and officer, and AW 97 or conduct prejudicial good order and military discipline.

Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, Army assistant chief of staff for Civil Military Operations (G7), described Macario as a well-experienced combat officer and an effective leader.

“Colonel Macario is a well-decorated combat officer whose vast experiences leading people in the field coupled with his effective leadership qualities have further honed and prepared him to assume higher command positions with bigger responsibilities in the military organization,” Burgos said.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/military-names-new-lrr-commander