• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Four Philippine Army senior officers assigned at the 3rd Infantry Division have been promoted to the next higher rank.
Now full-fledged colonel are Lt. Col. Michael Aquino, assistant chief of staff for intelligence; Lt. Col. Magno Mapalad III, assistant chief of staff for operations; Lt. Col. Arturo Balgos Jr., commandant of the Division Training School; and Lt. Col. Evelio Ilanga III, executive officer of the 302nd Infantry Brigade in Negros Oriental.
Also promoted as colonel is Lt. Col. Van Donald Almonte, former 94th Infantry Battalion commander, who is now assigned at the 7th Infantry Division.
Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, 3ID commander, led the donning of ranks ceremony at the Gateway Hotel in Pavia, Iloilo on Jan. 13.
In a statement, Samson said that promotion is both a reward for past performance and a call to greater responsibility.
“The new ranks carry higher expectations in leadership, decision-making, and accountability, especially as the division continues to fulfill its mandates of maintaining peace and security, supporting internal security operations, and responding to humanitarian assistance and disaster response missions,” he added. | GB
