Staunch Anti-NPA Campaigner Is New Nolcom Chief

September 7, 2020 JUST IN

BAGUIO CITY(September 7, 2020) – Staunch anti-NPA campaigner Major General Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, who dismantled two guerilla fronts of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Luzon, on Monday became the new commander of the Northern Luzon Command (NoLCom).

In a ceremony president by AFP Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay, at Camp Servillano Aquino in Tarlac City, Burgoz took over the helm of the Nolcom from Lieutenant General Ramiro Manuel Rey, retiring Tuesday.

Burgos was the commander of the 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) based in Tanay, Rizal where he was able to push the insurgency in Southern Tagalog “on the verge of irrecoverable defeat.”

Through intense military operations against insurgents, the 2^nd Infantry Division “decimated” the Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee’s (STRPC) Guerilla Front Cesar which operates in Rizal, Laguna, Quezon and Bulacan.

In 2019, Burgos served as the brigade commander of the 202nd Infantry Brigade, 2ID where he “destroyed” the STRPC’s Guerilla Front Honda, which operated in Cavite and Batangas.

“I am bringing with me the learnings and experiences that I accumulated in my more than 36 years of military service as well as the innovations, approaches and best practices from the immediate south of Metro Manila, which has pushed the once mighty Southern Tagalog Regional Party Committee on the verge of irrecoverable defeat,” Burgos remarked in accepting the new assignment.

Gapay urged Burgos to continue the AFP’s gains against communist groups, terrorists, and other security threats by ensuring efficient interoperability among the different services under his command.

Among his priorities at the Nolcom, Burgoz said, is territorial defense and counterinsurgency operations including proactive disaster response, forging domestic and international alliances, and promoting prosperity and development in the north by ensuring the security of critical infrastructures, private businesses and flagship projects.

Burgos is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Maringal” Class of 1988 and a native of Lipa, Batangas.

Artemio A. Dumlao