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Thursday, August 23, 2007
Marine commander in Basilan replaced
MANILA -- First Marine Brigade Commander Ramiro Alivio was relieved for a lapse during last Saturday's assault on an Abu Sayyaf camp in Basilan, said Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. on Wednesday.
Colonel Rustico Guerrero, outgoing commander of the Marine Corps Training Center based at the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, replaced Alivio.
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Esperon said the military's Board of Generals, which he chairs, decided to relieve Alivio from his post because he chose to stay in brigade headquarters rather than be near the troops during the operation against Abu Sayyaf bandits.
He was referring to the fierce fighting that erupted last Saturday after government troops assaulted an Abu Sayyaf camp in Ungkaya Pukan town in Basilan and encountered at least 80 members of the terrorist group.
Fifteen Marine soldiers, including five junior officers, died in the firefight that lasted up to the evening of that day. The military, on the other hand, said 42 bandits died in the attack but it was able to recover only five enemy bodies from the camp.
"I do not contest the assessment of Colonel Alivio that he has to remain in his headquarters while the operations are going on but I believe a brigade commander will be more effective if he would be near the troops during operations," said Esperon.
"It's just a matter of style. But I must say during such operations, I would rather that the commander on the ground would be near the troops," Esperon said on how the operations should have been handled by Alivio.
Esperon said the result of the battle could have been different had Alivio been near his men at the time. However, he said military casualties could not be avoided in close-quarter battles like the one mounted by the Marines.
He said there was a need to replace Alivio with another commander because "we have to do more" in Basilan. "It's not because Colonel Alivio failed in his job but I think we need to have a brigade commander that will be with the troops, that would prefer to be with the troops during operations," he said.
Interviewed separately, Philippine Marine information officer Ariel Caculitan said Alivio's relief is part of the ongoing reorganization in the military and has nothing to do with last Saturday's bloody encounter in Ungkaya Pukan.
Esperon his Alivio will be given a new position. "He is a very good officer and therefore we will put him in another position. We will put Colonel Alivio in a position where his intelligence background will serve our organization best," said Esperon.
Alivio's replacement, Guerrero, assumed the post in ceremonies held at the brigade's headquarters in Isabela City on Wednesday. Guerrero is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1981. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo.
(August 23, 2007 issue)
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