- GILBERT P. BAYORAN
A Negrense Army officer, who is the commander of an elite unit of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has finally been promoted to the rank of brigadier general, as approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, based on the recommendation of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.
Newly-promoted Brig. Gen. Eliglen Villaflor, of Bago City, Negros Occidental, is presently the commander of the AFP Joint Special Operations Group, composed of elite units from the Philippine Army, Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force.
The AFP Joint Special Operations Group tasked to conduct counter-terrorism, unconventional-guerrilla warfare, asymmetrical warfare, and highly specialized operations.
The promotion of Villaflor and seven AFP senior officers, as well as 21 regular officers of the Philippine military technical and administrtive services, was contained in a letter from Malacanang, which was addressed to Defense Secretary Teodoro.
Prior to his present assignment, Villaflor also served as the acting commander of the elite Philippine Army’s Special Forces Regiment (Airborne).
Villaflor, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1992, started his military career with the Special Forces Regiment, having been assigned in Negros as commander of 32nd Special Force Company in Cadiz City.
He was among the winners of Metrobank Foundation—Rotary Club Makati Metro Search for The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers (TOPS) in 2016.
As former commander 4th Special Forces Battalion, Villaflor led combat against Abu Sayyaf and other threat groups, while doing also community service efforts that benefitted thousands of residents during his two-year stint in war-torn Basilan.
As a United Nations peacekeeper, Villaflor successfully negotiated the release of civilians abducted by Syrian rebels in Golan Heights.
He was also recognized by then AFP chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana for the transformation of Army Personnel Management Center into a world-class office, as its head for almost two years. | GB
