THE Philippine Army has installed a seasoned officer as the new commander of the 11th Infantry "Alakdan" Division (ID) based in Jolo, Sulu.
Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner Jr., Philippine Army commander, led the turnover of command ceremony Wednesday, February 23, as Major General William Gonzales relinquished his post to Brigadier General Ignatius Patrimonio.
Prior to his new assignment, Patrimonio was the commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team. He belongs to the Philippine Military Academy "Sambisig" Class of 1991.
Patrimio has also held several positions such as the company commander of 2nd Scout Ranger Company under the First Scout Ranger Battalion based in Basilan in 1997, Presidential Security Group deputy commander in 2018, and 1102nd Infantry Brigade commander.
"As I assume this position, I will pursue the current thrust of our commanding general. Strengthening the unit's capabilities to defeat the enemy and meet the time line and deadline, responsive and efficient human resource management, adherence to good governance with transparency and accountability, actively sustain inter-agency cooperation and institutionalizing the whole-of-the nation approach to win the peace," Patrimonio said.
Gonzales currently served as The Inspector General (TIG) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines based at Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Gonzales expressed his gratitude to the men and women in uniform of 11ID, the different local government units and other stakeholders for the support and unity in claiming peace and development in Sulu as he leaves the unit flag to Patrimonio.
"Achieving the relative peace we have today is not an easy feat. It was made possible because of our collective effort and genuine concern to our fellow Filipino people here in the province of Sulu," Gonzales said.
Patrimonio is the fourth commander of the 11ID, which was activated on December 17, 2018 to fight the Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-affiliated terrorist groups.
The first commander of the 11ID was Major General Divino Rey Pabayo Jr.; Major General Corleto Vinluan Jr., second; and Gonzales, third. (SunStar Zamboanga)