Bacolod City – The new commander of the Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade has been ordered to eliminate the remnants of the New People’s Army in northern and central Negros.
“The first order of the day for you is to find, fix, and finish the remnants of the KR-NCBS (Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor). Nothing more, nothing less,” Maj. Gen. Marion Sison, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, ordered Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog.
Dumosmog replaced Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin as 303rd Infantry Brigade on November 5 at Camp Maj. Nelson Gerona in Brgy. Minoyan, Murcia.
Edralin turns 57 on Nov. 8, which is the mandatory retirement age for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Sison also commended Edralin for his leadership, noting the 303rd Infantry Brigade’s successful completion of 10 major engagements, solidifying its reputation as the “Fightingest Brigade” of the Philippine Army last year.
He also challenged Dumosmog to continue the fight, urging all personnel of the 303rd Infantry Brigade to extend the same support to BGen. Dumosmog that they had given to their previous commander.
“We cannot rest on our laurels because there are still remnants to be taken care of. Our fight is not yet over, so let us not relax. Let us not give the Communist Terrorist Group the chance to resurge,” Sison said.
We are confronting a ‘thinking enemy.’ It would not have lasted five decades if our enemy did not think. Let us not give them a chance to breathe. Let us not give them any space. Let us not give them the time to rise up, he added.
“We are almost there and we are 95 percent victorious, only five percent left. Let us finish them!” he emphasized.
Admitting that a daunting task lay ahead, Dumosmog said he is ready to take on the challenge.
Negros Island was declared in a status of Stable Internal Peace and Security during the stint of Edralin as 303rd Infantry Brigade commander.
“Indeed peace in our midst, in our hands, and the 303rd Infantry Brigade contributed a fair share to this triumph,” he added.
Dumosmog is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy “SAMBISIG” Class of 1991. He is no stranger to the 3ID, having once served as a platoon leader of the 47th Infantry Battalion from October 7, 1991 to January 31, 1992.
Prior to his present designation, he was the 4th Infantry Division chief for Reservist and Retiree Affairs. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star)