Camp Sang-An, Zamboanga del Sur – The 55th Infantry Battalion (55IB) welcomes its new commander, Lt. Col. Don Villanueva, in a Change of Command Ceremony on Wednesday, February 2, at the Battalion Headquarters.
Lt. Col. Villanueva was the commanding officer of the 1st Civil-Military Operations Battalion (CMOB) before he relinquished the said position to Lt. Col. Abdelhalim Sakilan last February 1.
Villanueva expressed his profound gratitude to the 1ID commander for the trust and confidence in entrusting 55IB under his leadership.
“As I assume responsibility in this battalion, I pledge my sincerest dedication and commitment to duty to accomplish the task,” vowed Villanueva. “Under my watch, expect that the men and women of this battalion will execute our tasks with excellence and pride.”
Meanwhile, the outgoing 55IB commander, Lt. Col. Franco Raphael Alano, assumed the position as the Division’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Education and Training, G8. He took over the position from Maj. Garry Cruzado.
The presiding officer, Maj. Gen. Gene Ponio, presented the Military Merit Medal award to Lt. Col. Alano. The latter held the position for two years, where he achieved numerous accomplishments. He led the battalion in confronting the local terrorist group/Dawlah Islamiyah-Maute Group and the Ace and Crackers Companies of SRC-5, NCMRC of the Communist Terrorist Group. During his stint as Battalion Commander, the threat capability of the enemy was reduced drastically.
On December 17, 2021, the battalion was conferred the Proficient Status under the Army Governance Pathway with Silver Trailblazer Award. Likewise, it was given an Excellent rating of 97.89% during the Division’s IG Inspection CY 2021.
In his remarks, Lt. Col. Alano thanked the Vigilant troopers for their untiring dedication that was instrumental to the significant improvements of the unit, the brigade commanders who supported the battalion during the conduct of combat operations, and the local chief executives for their invaluable support to the peace and development efforts.
Maj. Gen. Ponio lauded the excellent performance of the outgoing Acting G8, Maj. Cruzado, especially in the conduct of Career Courses by the 1st Division Training School inside the Headquarters of the Tabak Division. Maj. Cruzado was instrumental in the conduct of several career courses inspite of the limitations brought by the COVID-19 pandemic that greatly increased the training readiness of the Division.
The commander is also certain that the two newly installed senior officers will perform their respective duties satisfactorily to accomplish the mission of the 1st Infantry Division.
(Source: Team Tabak, photos courtesy of 55IB)