ARMY GENERAL IN PROPAGANDA FIASCO GETS NEW COMMAND
The Armed Forces of the Philippines general relieved of his post earlier this year for posting on social media an unverified list of names of alleged communist rebels, all University of the Philippines (UP) graduates, who were either killed or captured by the military, has been promoted.
Maj. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, former AFP deputy chief of staff for civil-military operations, was installed commander of the 3rd Infantry “Spearhead” Division (ID) in a ceremony held on Tuesday at Camp Gen. Macario Peralta Jr. in Jamindan, Capiz.
The 3rd ID conducts counterinsurgency operations in the Visayas region, mostly in Central and Western Visayas, and provides support to the Philippine National Police’s anticriminality operations.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Andres Centino led the rites where Arevalo took over from Brig. Gen. Noel Baluyan.
As head of the staff for civil-military operations, Arevalo released on social media in January a list of supposed communist rebels who graduated from UP who were killed or captured in military operations.
However, one of the supposed slain rebels, came out publicly to denounce the list, saying he was a lawyer and that contrary to the AFP’s claim, he was very much alive and, in fact, was never a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army.
Several others whose names were also on the list turned out to be a former government official, teacher and journalist.
‘Unpardonable’
Arevalo later apologized for what Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana described as an “unpardonable gaffe.”
He was relieved of his post along with AFP deputy chief of staff for intelligence Maj. Gen. Alex Luna, whose office had provided the list.
Both officials were subsequently ordered reinstated in March by Lorenzana who said they were not directly responsible, although liable under the principle of command responsibility, for the blunder.
Lorenzana also warned that such a gaffe “cannot and should not happen again.”
Arevalo is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s “Bigkis Lahi” Class of 1990. He was commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade in Negros Occidental and the 301st Infantry Brigade in Iloilo before he was designated AFP deputy chief of staff for civil-military operations.