THE new commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) will officially assume his post on Monday, January 21, following a change of command ceremony to be presided by the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) at Naval Station Felix Apolinario, Panacan, Davao City.

Lieutenant Colonel Ezra L. Balagtey, spokesperson of Eastmincom bared that Major General Felimon T. Santos Jr. is new Eastmincom commander. He was the commander of the 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army based in Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Laur, Palayan Nueva Ecija.

He will be replacing Major General Ronald Villanueva as Eastmincom’s acting commander.

Villanueva temporarily headed the Eastmincom after it was vacated by then Eastmincom commander and now CSAFP General Benjamin Madrigal Jr. in December 2018.

“MGen. Santos is not new in Mindanao situation and he is adept in wide range peace and security programs not only in Mindanao but also in the entire country having been assigned in strategic offices of the AFP dealing with operations, intelligence and civil-military operations,” Balagtey said.

Santos, a seasoned military officer, previously headed the 11th Intelligence Service Unit based in Davao City and became the Group Commander of Intelligence Service Group, Philippine Army. When he graduated at the Philippine Military Academy in 1086, he spent his junior years with 39th Infantry Battalion, a unit deployed in various provinces in Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte approved on January 8, 2018, the recommendation of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenza on the appointment of Santos as the new Eastmincom commander.

A former chief of operations of Central Command in the Visayas, he also commanded 703rd Infantry Brigade in Central Luzon, served as battalion commander of 63rd Infantry Battalion in Samar Province and became the assistant division commander of 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army based in DOS, Awang Maguindanao.

With his vast experience in operations and intelligence, skills and knowledge from studying here and abroad and after having been assigned at the Civil Relations Service, AFP and headed the former Civil Military Operations Group, he has become a competent commander for the unit which is confronting different threat groups particularly insurgents.

“Philippine Army is expected to boost the peace and security effort in Eastern Mindanao more so in the advent of the implementation of Executive Order 70 which institutionalize `whole of nation approach' in fighting insurgency in the country,” Balagtey said.