Chief of Army's 1st Infantry Division is Wesmincom OIC

MANILA, Philippines - A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class ’78 has been named Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Western Mindanao Command (WESMINCOM), succeeding Lt. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, who will retire from the service today.

Armed forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. said Maj. Gen. Romeo Lustestica, chief of the Army’s 1st Infantry “Tabak” Division, will take over WESMINCOM pending the appointment of a permanent commander.

Mabanta said they are still waiting for the appointment orders to be issued by President Aquino.

“If that (issuance of appointment orders) happens, then they will designate a full-time commander (of WESMINCOM),” he said.

Mabanta said there is nothing unusual about the appointment of an OIC to WESMINCOM.

“This is just ministerial. Maybe there were delays (in the issuance of appointment papers),” the AFP spokesman said.

As head of the Tabak division, Lustestica oversees military operations in Zamboanga and is tasked to dismantle the fronts of communist rebels and the Abu Sayyaf.

He is a graduate of PMA class ’78, which adopted former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as honorary member.

Last Monday, Mabanta said five military officers are being considered to succeed Dolorfino in WESMINCOM. He said four of the contenders are from the Army while one belongs to the Navy.

This came amid talks that the WESMINCOM, which is usually assigned to Navy officers, will soon be handled by an Army general.

The military leadership has been assigning Navy officers as WESMINCOM chief after it adopted the so-called fleet-marine concept in 2006. This concept, which seeks to improve troop interoperability, has resulted in the deployment of Marines in southwestern Mindanao, which is under WESMINCOM.

The Marine Corps is a fighting unit of the Navy.

A senior military officer who requested anonymity had said that the appointment of an Army man to WESMINCOM would be unfair to the Air Force and Navy. The officer said this would allow the Army to corner six of the seven area commands, which are breeding grounds of military chiefs.

At present, five of the seven area commands are headed by Army officers.