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Ancan named Central Command head

By Priam Nepomuceno

November 1, 2019, 11:21 am

<p><strong>NEW CENTCOM CHIEF.</strong> AFP chief, Gen. Noel Clement (left) hands over the flag of the Central Command to newly-appointed commander, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan in a ceremony at Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City on Thursday (Oct. 31, 2019). Prior to his new post, Ancan served as commander of the 1st Infantry Division (ID), 25th Infantry Battalion, 72nd Infantry Battalion, 66th Infantry Battalion and as a UN military observer in Timor Leste. <em>(Photo courtesy of AFP Public Affairs Office)</em></p>

NEW CENTCOM CHIEF. AFP chief, Gen. Noel Clement (left) hands over the flag of the Central Command to newly-appointed commander, Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan in a ceremony at Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City on Thursday (Oct. 31, 2019). Prior to his new post, Ancan served as commander of the 1st Infantry Division (ID), 25th Infantry Battalion, 72nd Infantry Battalion, 66th Infantry Battalion and as a UN military observer in Timor Leste. (Photo courtesy of AFP Public Affairs Office)

 

MANILA -- Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, the commander of the Zamboanga Del Sur-based 1st Infantry Division (ID), formally assumed leadership of the Cebu-headquartered Central Command (Centcom) Thursday.

He replaced Centcom acting commander, Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina in a ceremony presided by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff, Gen. Noel Clement held at Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City.

Clement was previously Centcom commander prior to his appointment to the military's top position.

Ancan, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987, was appointed 1st Infantry Division commander in February.

“During his stint as the 1st ID (Infantry Division) Commander, he has led his unit to several successes and among them were notable accomplishments on the neutralization of high valued individuals and clearing of several guerrilla fronts,” Clement said.

Prior to his present position, he was designated as head of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade and the commanding officer of the AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center that managed the organization, training, and deployment of AFP units to the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

He was also the commander of the 25th Infantry Battalion, 72nd Infantry Battalion, and 66th Infantry Battalion and was posted as a UN military observer in Timor Leste.

“Based on his long list of accomplishments of which I have personally witnessed, we can deduce that Major General Ancan (has) the characteristic of leader that we are looking for to sustain and even intensify our efforts to enforce EO 70 and other initiatives of the command,” Clement added.

Ancan is a graduate of the Basic Airborne, Scout Ranger, Field Artillery, Explosive Ordnance and Disposal, and Peacekeeping courses; and finished at the top of his Command and General Staff Course class at the AFP Command and General Staff College.

“To be the commander of the Central Command is not an easy task, you have to hurdle challenges, defy odds, and offset the threats that loomed in every corner of your area of responsibility, it is upon you to formulate cohesive strategies and plans to definitively address the communist threat, allow development to progress, and uphold peace and security in the whole of the Visayas region,” Clement said. (PNA)

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