POLICE Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar has relinquished command of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, tasked with implementing community quarantine throughout the country, to another police general.
Eleazar, the PNP’s deputy chief for administration, announced yesterday a change in the leadership of the multi-agency task force composedly mainly of police personnel.
He said the new JTF COVID Shield commander is Lt. Gen. Cesar Hawtorne Binag, the PNP deputy chief for operations.
Eleazar said he took command of Binag’s task force, the PNP Administrative Support to COVID Operations Task Force which is attending to logistical and other needs of policemen assigned with JTF COVID Shield. He said the swapping of task force positions between him and Binag took effect Tuesday last week.
Eleazar thanked members of the media “for your support and cooperation in pursuit of the function of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield in the implementation of quarantine rules and protocols issued by IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases).”
“As its outgoing commander, I feel honored and proud to have been part of this JTF,” Eleazar said.
Eleazar urged the public to support Binag, his classmate at the Philippine Military Academy class of 1987, as the new JTF COVID Shield commander.
Eleazar was named the first commander of the JTF COVID Shield when he still the PNP deputy chief for operations the while the ASCOTF was first commanded by Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, the then PNP deputy chief for administration.
When Cascolan assumed command as PNP chief in September, Eleazar was promoted to become the PNP deputy chief for administration. He was retained as JTF COVID Shield commander for “continuity.”
