6th ID in Central Mindanao gets new commander

COTABATO CITY — A brigadier general who partly financed his elementary and high school education through earnings from selling bread on the streets assumed command of the Army's 6th Infantry Division on Thursday, October 22. The division is responsible for securing culturally diverse communities in the Bangsamoro region and Region 12.

Brig. Gen. Edgar Catu, who hails from Sto. Niño in Mexico, Pampanga, replaced Brig. Gen. Ricky Bunayog, the 6th ID’s acting commander, during a turnover ceremony at Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte. The ceremony was presided over by Philippine Army’s commander Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran.

Catu belongs to the Philippine Military Academy's Marilag Class of 1995 and was among the top ten graduates of his batch.

His predecessor, Bunayog, graduated from the PMA ebfore Catu. As a junior officer, Bunayog was assigned to different Army units in Central Mindanao, where he was extensively involved in community peacebuilding activities in what are now the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Maguindanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The 6th ID also covers the provinces of Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani, as well as  several towns in Cotabato and the cities of Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos, all in Region 12. The division also has jurisdiction over the 37 barangays in Cotabato City, BARMM’s regional capital. 

The 6th ID is touted as the PMA's "fightingest" division, having cleared towns and cities within its area of responsibility of the presence of the New People's Army and two regional militant groups, Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, through deadly tactical operations ove the past six years.

Before serving as the division's acting commandor, Bunayog led the 602nd Infantry Brigade, another unit under the 6th ID.

Gumiran, who previously also served as 6th ID commander before becoming chief of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City and later Philippine Army commander, said Catu would continue the division's inter-agency and multi-sector peacebuilding programs in towns and cities within its area of responsibility. These initiatives were started by Catu's predecessors.

Catu is also familiar with the religious and cultural dynamics of Region 12 and BARMM.

Like  Bunayog, Catu has served in various capacities in different 6th ID units involved in projects complementing the government’s peace efforts with Moro communities in Central Mindanao. These initiatives also included engagement with members of the Moro National Liberation Front and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, two former rebel groups that have separate peace agreements with the national government.

Soldiers from Pampanga serving in the 6th ID told reporters that they knew Catu's life story, including how he helped his parents earn money by selling bread and other food products on the streets of their hometown while he was in elementary and high school. The earnings helped support the daily needs of their financially struggling family.