DIPOLOG CITY - A new
commanding officer has recently been installed at the Philippine Army’s (PA)
101st Infantry Brigade based at Barangay Del Pilar, Piñan, Zamboanga
del Norte.
Col.
Apolinario Alobba, former chief of staff of the First Infantry Tabak Division
at Pulacan, Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur, was installed last May 3 as the new
commanding officer of the brigade in a simple change of command ceremony
presided by Brig. Gen. Daniel Lucero, First Infantry Tabak Division commander.
Alobba
replaced Col. Amadeo Azul, who also assumed as assistant division commander of
the First Infantry Tabak Division. He served the brigade for barely six months
only starting Oct. 26, 2012 to May 3, 2013.
During
his stint as brigade commander, Col. Azul was instrumental in weakening the
West Mindanao Command of the New People’s Army (NPA), involved in promoting peace
with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in support of the Bangsamoro
Framework Agreement, able to avert kidnapping and sea piracy in collaboration
with the Philippine National Police (PNP), and provided coordinative support to
help secure the pre-electoral process along with the PNP and COMELEC.
Azul
was also instrumental in the peace covenant signing among local candidates for
the May 13, 2013 elections and in the conduct of an interfaith prayer rally
with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), PNP, COMELEC,
Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) and various religious groups in Zamboanga
del Norte.
In
his farewell message, Col Azul thanked the men and women of the brigade for the
cooperation and support they had extended to him. He urged them to extend a similar
support to the new brigade commander, as he assured them of “his good character
as a person and as a leader.”
In
his acceptance speech, Col. Alobba vowed to continue various programs and
projects initiated by his predecessor, committing to provide a peaceful
community to the people residing in his area of responsibility. (PIA9)