The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) formally installed Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr. as the new commander of the Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM) on Monday, Jan. 24.
AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Andres Centino presided over the change of command ceremony at Camp Aquino in Tarlac City.
Torres replaced Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo who took over as acting commander following the retirement of Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. in December 2021.
Centino said he entrusts the commandership of the "Vanguards of the North" to Torres who "has all the credentials, skills, and knowledge to usher lasting peace and sustainable development for people of Northern Luzon, as well as enforce the country’s sovereignty on our northern borders."
“I am confident that NOLCOM will deliver more victories and successes to the AFP as it continues to fulfill its mission of combating terrorism, facilitating development, and securing our borders in the North,” Centino said.
He reminded Torres of the AFP's mission to finish the local communist armed conflict before the end of President Duterte’s term in June.
Meanwhile, Torres vowed to sustain the momentum set by his predecessors to defeat the remnants of the communist groups and other security threats in Northern and Central Luzon.
"Through the whole-of-nation approach spearheaded by the NTF-ELCAC , we shall endeavor to aggressively support the programs to end internal dissension through a progressive and sustainable campaign that would address its root causes,” said Torres, who also donned his three-star rank during the ceremony.
Prior to his appointment as NOLCOM chief, Torres was the former commander of the 10th Infantry Agila Division (10ID) based in Davao de Oro.
Under his leadership, the 10ID successfully dismantled three guerilla fronts in the command’s area of operations in Mindanao and neutralized a total of 280 communist rebels including multiple high-value targets in just a span of eight months.
He had also served as the commander of the 1003rd Infantry Brigade which oversees the military operations in Davao City, and parts of Davao del Norte and Bukidnon.
Torres led the unit in arresting former Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo and ACT Teachers Party list Representative France Castro in 2018 for allegedly trafficking 14 Lumad studens in Talaingod, Davao del Norte. Both claimed they were rescuing the children, and were eventually released from jail after posting P80,000 bail.
The unit also dismantled Guerilla Front Committee 54, and three NPA formations in its area of operations from 2017 to 2019.
Now with NOLCOM, Torres is set to oversee all the military operations in Northern Luzon, Central Luzon, Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal), and Philippine (Benham) Rise.
Torres is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Makatao" Class of 1989.