Medal of Valor awardee Bacarro replaces Parlade as Southern Luzon military commander

From Rappler (Jun 30, 2021): Medal of Valor awardee Bacarro replaces Parlade as Southern Luzon military commander (JAIRO BOLLEDO)

Defense Secretary Lorenzana says President Duterte signed the appointment orders of Major General Bob Bacarro and seven other senior military officers on June 28

Major General Bartolome “Bob” Bacarro, a recipient of the prestigious Medal of Valor, will be the next commander of the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), replacing the controversial Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed to Rappler that President Rodrigo Duterte signed the appointment order of Bacarro and seven other senior military officers on Monday, June 28.

Parlade, who has been criticized for red-tagging personalities and progressive leaders, will reach his mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 26. It is unclear if he would remain as a spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Bacarro will assume the command as soon as possible, according to the defense chief.

The incoming Solcom commander received the Medal of Valor in 1991 for his victory in an encounter with communist rebels in Isabela. The coveted Medal of Valor is the military’s highest award given to a soldier who has performed a heroic act.

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Bacarro's sterling military career was also once mired in controversy. Following the death of Cadet 4th Class Darwin Dormitorio due to alleged hazing inside the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), then-Commandant of Cadets Bacarro resigned due to “command responsibility.”

Bacarro belongs to the ruling PMA Maringal Class of 1988.

The three highest officers of AFP services are Bacarro’s “mistahs.” These are Army chief Major General Andres Centino, Air Force chief Lieutenant General Allen Paredes, and Navy flag officer-in-command Rear Admiral Adeluis Bordado.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/bartolome-bacarro-replaces-parlade-southern-luzon-command-commander