Combat veteran named Army chief

MANILA, Philippines - A military officer with extensive combat experience in Mindanao has been named new commanding general of the Philippine Army.

Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy class ’80, assumes today as the 55th chief of the 80,000-strong Army in a ceremony to be held in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

President Aquino is scheduled to preside over the change of command ceremony, which starts at 3 p.m.

Coballes will take over the post vacated by Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, who assumed as chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) last week.

“General Coballes is a seasoned combat officer. Most of his assignments were in the field,” AFP spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said in a press briefing.

“He is a battle-hardened soldier and has gone through a lot of command positions. He spent 14 years in Mindanao alone,” he added.

Prior to his appointment as Army chief, Coballes was the vice chief of staff of the military. No announcements have been made as to who would succeed Coballes as AFP vice chief.

A native of Tuguegarao, Coballes started his military career in the battlefields of Mindanao as platoon leader of the 26th Infantry Battalion. He then joined the First Scout Ranger Regiment and led troops under the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion.

He also led task groups and units that oversaw the operations of Scout Ranger companies. These include the Task Group Panther credited for the arrest and killing of several Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Basilan.

Coballes also served as chief of the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion tasked to address security threats in Maguindanao and North Cotabato.

Other units he led are the Army’s 105th Infantry Brigade in Basilan, the 1003rd Infantry Brigade in Davao and the Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga.

Coballes is a recipient of several military awards including two Distinguished Conduct Stars, the second highest combat medal for bravery.

Other awards he received include three Distinguished Service Stars, five Gold Cross Medals for gallantry in action, the third highest combat medal, two Bronze Cross Medals, and several military merit medals and commendations.

Coballes holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College and has completed a strategic human resource management course at the Asian Institute of Management.