The military official who led the recent successful infiltration of a New People's Army (NPA) bomb-making camp in Dolores, Eastern Visayas has been installed as the new commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' (AFP) Visayas Command (VISCOM) over the weekend.
Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso III, erstwhile commander of the 8th Infantry Division (8ID), was appointed as the new VISCOM commander last Saturday, Aug. 21, replacing now retired Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan.
Diñoso led the Aug. 16 operation of the 8ID at a bomb-making camp of the NPA in the hinterlands of Dolores, Eastern Visayas which resulted in the killing of 19 rebels and none on the side of the military.
Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., AFP Chief of Staff, expressed confidence that Diñoso will take the VISCOM to greater heights under his leadership, especially in its anti-insurgency campaign.
"This change of leadership symbolizes the long-standing tradition and culture of organizational excellence and dynamism that we proudly espouse in the Armed Forces of the Philippines," said Faustino, who presided over the joint change of command and retirement ceremony at Camp Lapu-Lapu in Cebu City.
Diñoso is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Maringal" Class of 1988.
Meanwhile, Ancan retired after 34 years in the service. He is a product of the PMA "Hinirang" Class of 1987.
Aside from being the VISCOM commander, Ancan also held various positions in the military including as United Nations Military Observer in Timor Leste; commanding officer of the AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center; and Battalion Commander of three different Infantry Battalions of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division in Mindanao.
Since its inception in 2001, the Central Command (CENTCOM) reverted to being called the Visayas Command (VISCOM) last August 11. It is primarily geared towards attaining peace and sustainable development in the region.