MAJOR General Jose C. Faustino Jr., current commander of the 10th Infantry Division (ID), will assume as the new head of the Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) Friday, January 25.
The change of command ceremony will be presided by former Eastmincom commander and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Felimon Santos Jr. at the Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Panacan, Davao City.
Felimon left the post earlier this month after he was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to head the AFP on January 4, 2020 and designated Brigadier General Alfredo V. Rosario as acting commander.
Eastmincom Public Information Office (PIO) head Lieutenant Colonel Ezra Balagtey said during Faustino’s stint as the 10th ID commander, he has been active in pushing for the implementation of Executive Order (EO) 70, institutionalizing the whole-of-nation approach in attaining inclusive and sustainable peace, while creating a national task force to end local communist armed conflict and directing the adoption of a national peace framework.
“At the helm of the 10th Infantry Division (ID), Major General Faustino made strides in the conduct of focused military operations which resulted in the dismantling of various New People’s Army formations and their shadow government in the different communities in Region 11 and 12,” Balagtey said.
Faustino has supported the different initiatives of different local government units in his jurisdiction to achieve peace.
Being assigned in the 10th ID and different areas in Mindanao, Balagtey believed that Faustino has a better understanding of the security landscape in Eastern Mindanao.
Prior to his assignment in 10th ID, Faustino used to head the 11th Intelligence Service Unit based in Davao City and fought terrorists in Western Mindanao when he led the 35th Infantry Battalion (IB) and the 501st Infantry Brigade as Brigade Commander.
Faustino is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in 1988 and spent his junior years with the First Scout Ranger Regiment, an elite unit of the Philippine Army deployed in various conflict-affected areas in the country.
“His experiences and mentorship skills were also shared in molding future leaders and soldiers of the AFP when he was assigned as Tactical Officer and later on as Commandant of Cadets of the Philippine Military Academy,” Balagtey added.