Local officials in Northern Mindanao pledged support for Brig. Gen. Siegfred Tubalado as the new acting commander of the Armyโs 4th Infantry Division, signaling continuity as the region moves past communist insurgency towards peacebuilding efforts following the retirement of Major Gen. Michele Anayron Jr.
COTABATO CITY โ Local officials in Northern Mindanao are betting on continuity in a region long shaped by communist insurgency.
Leaders across Region 10 have pledged support for Brig. Gen. Siegfred Tubalado, the newly installed acting commander of the Philippine Armyโs 4th Infantry Division, signaled confidence that the militaryโs ongoing peace and reintegration campaign against communist insurgency will continue with little disruption.
On Wednesday at Camp Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro, Major Gen. Michele Anayron Jr. handed over command after nearly two years leading one of the countryโs most active antiโinsurgency units.
Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete, the commanding general of the Philippine Army, officiated the ceremony. He praised Anayronโs tenure and expressed confidence that Tubalado would sustain the divisionโs community-based peacebuilding efforts.
โYour legacy will endure in the systems you built, the leaders you mentored, and the soldiers you inspired,โ Nafarrete said during the turnover rites. โThank you for having served the Filipinos well.โ
Headquartered at Camp Evangelista, the 4th Infantry Division directs military operations across Northern Mindanao, a region long challenged by the communistโled New Peopleโs Army.
Military officials and local executives said that under Anayronโs leadership, government units and Army field commanders intensified โbackchannel dialoguesโ with rebel fighters and supporters โ an approach that helped secure the surrender and reintegration of 619 New Peopleโs Army members into civilian life.
Officials described the effort as a blend of military pressure and community outreach, involving local governments, social welfare agencies and civil society groups.
Members of the Regional Peace and Order Council 10 โ a body composed of governors, mayors, police officials and representatives from national agencies โ have since vowed to continue supporting the Armyโs multi-sector security programs under Tubaladoโs command.
The endorsements reflect a broader strategy increasingly favored in Mindanao: treating insurgency not only as a military problem, but also as a social and economic one.
Local officials described the leadership change as less about a new direction than preserving momentum.
Tubalado now inherits a command that military officials say has significantly weakened communist guerrilla influence in Northern Mindanao, though security analysts warn that sustaining peace gains will require continued investments in rural development, governance and reintegration programs.
The ceremony concluded with Nafarrete awarding Anayron a special citation plaque recognizing his service. The retiring general also received a separate commendation from the Western Mindanao Command, which oversees the 4th Infantry Division and its subordinate units across the region.
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