Fort Andres Bonifacio, Taguig City
October 15, 2018
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte attended the 59th Philippine Army Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony in honor of Lieutenant General Rolando Joselito Bautista at the Philippine Army Officers’ Clubhouse located within the Headquarters Philippine Army (HPA) in Fort Andres Bonifacio, Taguig City.
The Commander-in-Chief presented the Philippine Legion of Honor (PLOH) with the degree of Commander and the citation to Lt. Gen. Bautista as the outgoing Commanding General of the Philippine Army (CGPA) then handed over the Command Symbol (Saber) to Major General Macairog Alberto who assumed the CGPA position.
In his speech, President Duterte lauded the achievements and valuable contributions of Lt. Gen. Bautista – who also served as the Group Commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) prior to the CGPA post — such as the liberation of Marawi City from the terrorists and the more than 100,000 combat operations that resulted to a large number of rebels who surrendered, neutralization of enemies, and recovery of firearms.
He added that more threats and more challenges face Major General Alberto as he takes the helm of the Philippine Army, and called on the PA officers and enlisted personnel to render their full support to the new leadership, saying that he is “confident of realizing aspirations of a stronger Armed Forces and a more stable nation.”
The Commander-in-Chief also issued a stern warning to the military and police to be “strictly neutral” and not to endorse any politician nor engage in partisan politics in the coming May 2019 national elections as he wants next year’s polls to be “honest and clean.
Newly designated CGPA Major General Macairog Alberto is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1986 and served as Commander of Task Force Davao from June 2014 – August 2015, when President Duterte was mayor of Davao City.
***