Lieutenant General Ernesto Torres Jr. assumed his post as the new commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Northern Luzon Command (NOLCOM).
Torres replaced Major General Andrew Costelo who took over as acting commander following the retirement of Lieutenant General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. in December last year.
During the Donning of Ranks and Change of Command Ceremony, AFP Chief of Staff General Andres Centino expressed gratitude to Costelo for his dedication to the service and for exceeding expectations in keeping watch of NOLCOM even for a brief period.
“Under your competent leadership, NOLCOM neutralized 14 top leaders of Communist Terrorist Groups, facilitate the withdrawal of so many members of the mass-based, and the recovery of several firearms, all of which drastically weakened the local communist terrorist here in Northern Luzon,” he said.
In cooperation with its stakeholders, NOLCOM also initiated responses to communities during emergencies and calamities.
Moreover, Centino noted that the assumption of post and rank promotion of Torres manifest his competence and capacity to go beyond what he has already accomplished so far in his military career.
“Three stars now on your uniform not only attest to your stellar leadership but more importantly they serve as a strong reminder of the added responsibility and high expectations entrusted to you by the AFP, the country, and the Filipino people,” Centino said.
“I am confident that NOLCOM under General Torres will deliver more victories and successes to the AFP as it continues to fulfill its mission of combatting terrorism, facilitating development, and securing our maritime borders,” he added.
Torres is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Makatao” Class of 1989.
Prior to this post, he served as the commander of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
There he dismantled six guerrilla fronts and one regional guerilla unit, and neutralized a total of 393 Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front members with 113 high value individuals who surrendered or died due to combat operations. (PIA 3)
