TASK Force Davao Commander Nolasco Mempin will officially assume as the new commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade on March 28, during a Change of Command Ceremony at their headquarters located in Purok 9, Barangay Mahayag, Bunawan District in Davao City.
Incumbent 103rd IB commander Ernesto Torres Jr. will be designated as deputy commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command stationed at Naval Force Eastern Mindanao (NFEM) in Panacan, Davao City.
"I will turn over the leadership of the Brigade to Col. Noli Mempin," Torres said.
Mempin became the TFD commander in August 2017 after he replaced Col. Erwin Bernard Neri, who served as commander for a year. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy "Bigkis Lahi" Class of 1990 and graduated top eight in a class of 147.
Prior to his designation as the TFD commander, he was the chief of Governance and Strategy Management Office of the 10th Infantry Division (ID) and commander of the 78th Infantry Battalion under the 8th ID.
Mempin vowed to continue what Torres has started during his term in their area of operation which include Davao City and parts of Davao del Norte, especially in solving the insurgency problem against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army (CPP-NPA).
He also said that he will further strengthen the community support program and the Peace 911 of Davao City to address the root cause of rebellion and to encourage more NPAs to surrender.
"We will vigorously continue our focused military operations against NPA so that the locals can live normally without fear of intimidation and reprisals from NPA. Long-lasting peace and development is our ultimate goal in our area of operations," Mempin said.