PRESIDENT Duterte has designated an Army commander in Davao City as Armed Forces deputy chief of staff for civil military operations (J7).
Brig. Gen. Nolasco Mempin took over his new post yesterday during rites presided by Vice Adm. Erick Kagaoan, AFP deputy chief of staff, at the AFP general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Mempin replaced Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, who assumed as the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, based in Capiz last month.
Mempin is the outgoing commander of the 1003rd Brigade based in Bunawan District in Davao City. He also served as deputy commander of the 10th Infantry Division in Davao de Oro, and commander of the Task Force Davao.
“With his impressive track record, we are certain that Brig. Gen Mempin is equipped with a wide range of knowledge and wisdom that will further steer OJ7 (Office of the J7) into achieving both its office strategic goals and its Civil Military Operations mandate,” said Kagaoan.
Mempin, as 1003rd Brigade commander, was credited for crafting numerous peace and development programs under the banner “from terrorism to tourism” in collaboration with local government officials.
Kagaoan commended Arevalo for a successful stint as J7, saying Arevalo “comprehensively assessed the political, social, economic, and psychological dimensions of the AFP’s civil military operations.”
Meanwhile, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said he will recommend three to five police officials as successor of PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar who is due to reach the retirement age of 56 on November 13.
Año said he discussed with President Duterte the impending vacancy at the PNP on Tuesday night at the sidelines of the President’s talk to the people.
