Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana installed the new commander of 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division (4ID) yesterday (July 5) at Camp Evangelista, Patag, Cagayan de Oro City.
Sobejana presided over the turnover of the command symbol from outgoing 4ID commander Maj. Gen. Andres Centino to incoming Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
“Leaders come and go, but our purpose, the very reason why we do what we do, will always be the same — that is, to serve the people and secure the land,” Sobejana said. “I wish every Diamond trooper all the best. I am counting on all of you to aspire for excellence.”
Brawner is a member of Philippine Military Academy “Makatao” Class of 1989 and was the deputy chief of staff for financial management prior to his current post. He also served as the commandant of cadets in PMA; commander of the 103rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division; commander of civil-military operations (provisional); chief of staff of 6th Infantry Division; and chief of staff, Joint Task Force Central, West Mindanao Command.
He also completed the Command and General Staff Courses and holds the degrees of MBA Management of Technology from Asian Institute on Technology in Thailand, as well as Master of Science in Information Management from Ateneo De Manila University.
Centino, meanwhile, is currently the 64th commanding general, Philippine Army. During his stint as 4ID commander, the Diamond Division successfully conducted combat operations to sustain peace and security in Northern Mindanao. He led the command in sustaining its efforts on focused military operations (FMO) that sum up to 184 armed engagements.
The FMO led to several neutralizations of Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-terrorist (CNT) members. The Diamond Division also conducted community support programs that were key to helping geographically isolated disadvantaged areas and other CNT-affected barangays to develop into disaster- and conflict-resilient communities. (AFP) – jlo
