Former CMO chief is new 67th IB commander

From MindaNews (Jan 29): Former CMO chief is new 67th IB commander

The former commander of the civil military operations battalion is now the commander of the 67th Infantry Battalion in Baganga, Davao Oriental.

Lt. Col. Jacob Thaddeus Obligado  took over the command from Lt. Col. Michele Anayron on Friday.

The 67th Infantry Battalion covers Davao Oriental’s first district and three other municipalities at the province’s boundaries — Lingig in Surigao del Sur; Trento in Agusan del Sur and Compostela in Compostela Valley province.

Obligado said his leadership is taking off from  the Army’s strategies on peace campaign  — the Internal Peace and Security Plan Bayanihan which has been replaced by the Development Support and Security Plan Kapayapaan of the Duterte administration. Under Oplan Kapayapaan,  the Armed Forces of the Philippines “will sustain the peace and internal stability of the country through sustained military operations to defeat terrorists, support to law enforcement in the campaign against illegal drugs and organized crimes, and actively contribute to peace promotion and nation-building.”

He cited several imperatives in pursuing permanent and lasting peace, among them “respect for human rights, international humanitarian law and the rule of law.”

“Our first imperative is our commitment that soldiers are duty-bound to serve the community’s rights and the laws of the land. It is our responsibility to fulfill these obligations,” he said, adding the other imperatives are good citizenship, stakeholders’ active participation in the peace efforts.

“Stakeholders’ engagement means that we cannot perform our tasks and accomplish our mission without the community’s involvement and participation and I can see how Lt. Col. Anayron performed these tasks through participation, collaboration and coordination of all the stakeholders,” he further said.

Obligado was formerly assigned in Davao region as commander of 10th Civil-Military Operation (CMO) Battalion and later as Intelligence Officer at  the Eastern Mindanao Command.

Maj. Gen. Rafael Valencia, commander of the 10th ID conferred on Anayron a merit medal.

In his message,  Anayron bid his “Agila sons and daughters” farewell, saying that his two-year stint as commander of the battalion that has been distinguished for its many accomplishments, has been a blessing.

“I was given the opportunity to command a unit that was trained and transformed into a model Peace and Development Outreach Program-operating unit of the Army,” he said, citing one of his predecessors who started this innovation, Col. Reuben Basiao, the new Commander of the Army’s 701st Brigade.

He also cited the Provincial Government and all local government units, as well as the community, for their support in the military’s peace campaign. “The LGUs knew and understood the internal security problem which enabled them to adopt a holistic approach to address it and master the art of maximizing the use of the military as one of their partner agency,” he said.

“In the implementation of the AFP’s new campaign, I am fully assured that Jake’s ingenuity, initiative, vast experiences and charisma, shall be again of great help in working with other peace and security stakeholders towards meeting these ends,” h Valencia said.

“Jake, under your leadership, I entrust   67th IB, the morale and welfare of the Agila troops and their dependents, and the peace and security of various areas within your battalion’s area of responsibility. Give and make the best that you can.  The command will always be here to support, direct, supervise and guide you,” he added.

On Janauary 20, Brig. Gen. Bienvenido Datuin Jr. relinquished his command of teh 701st Infantry Brigade in Mati City to  Col. Reuben Basiao.

On the same day, Lt. Col. Gilbert Ruiz was replaced by Lt. Col. Palmer Parungao, as the commander of 66th Infantry Battalion in New Bataan, Comval Province.

The 73rd Infantry Battalion also has a new commander. Lt.Col. Felix Ronnie Babac was resplaced by Lt. Col. Marlon Angcao last January 19 in turnover rites at  Barangay Felis in  Malita, Davao Occidental.

http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2017/01/former-cmo-chief-is-new-67th-ib-commander/