ILOILO City – The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) has expressed its full support to the newly installed commanding general of the Philippine Army.
Lieutenant General Antonio Nafarrete, a native of Calinog, Iloilo, is the 67th commanding general of the 110,000-strong Philippine Army. He replaced Lieutenant General Roy Galido who stepped down upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 57.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony at Fort Andres Bonifacio in Taguig City on July 31, where he also conferred the Presidential Legion of Honor Award on Galido for his “exceptional service and dedication” to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Major General Michael Samson, 3ID commander, welcomed the appointment of Nafarrete, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Bigkis-Lahi” Class of 1990.
“Our new commanding general is an officer with integrity and leadership. Full support gid kita sa fellow Ilonggo ta kag we are honored nga isa ka Ilonggo ang aton leader,” Samson added.
Nafarrete previously served as chief of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), where he led joint operations against insurgency and terrorism in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Central Mindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and parts of Lanao del Norte.
He also previously commanded the 1st Infantry Division, Joint Task Force Zampelan, and held key posts in the 1101st Infantry Brigade, 11th Infantry Division, and the AFP’s J3 operations staff./PN
