AFP chief visits Davao Oriental
MATI CITY, DAVAO ORIENTAL–-- A few days before retirement from military service, General Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), visited the province of Davao Oriental on Wednesday where his colorful military career started.
The province of Davao Oriental is home to the Philippine Army’s 701st Brigade that Gen. Guerrero described as the “factory of generals.”
“Alam n’yo, dito sa 701st Brigade nagsimula ang lahat. From Task Force Davao commander, dito ko rin nakuha ang aking unang estrella. Itong brigade na ito ang factory ng mga generals. Wala pang dumaan sa brigade na ito na hindi naging general. Lahat ng dumaan sa brigade na ito naging general, at lahat ng dumaan sa brigade na ito ay naging kilala dahil sa kanilang pag ganap ng tungkulin. (You know, it is right here in the 701st Brigade where my military career have started. From Task Force Davao where I served as commander, this is where I received my first star as a general. This brigade is a factory of generals. Those who went through this brigade became generals and they became famous too for their exemplary performance),” General Guerrero who arrived early in the morning on Tuesday at the sprawling military camp of the 701st Brigade in Mati said.
Speaking before a crowd of regular members of the military and former members of the Communist New People’s Army who surrendered to the government, the general recalled his colourful stint in Davao Oriental. He said that under his watch, Davao Oriental was “close to being declared as insurgency-free province in Mindanao.” Ferdinand Zuasola