4 senior Army execs promoted

MANILA, Philippines - The Army has four new generals with the promotion of senior officers handling key posts.

Promoted to the position of brigadier general were Colonels Noel Clement, Harold Cabreros, Alvin Francis Javier and Ronnie Evangelista. Their promotion took effect last November 2.

Clement, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class ‘85, is the chief of the Army’s 602^nd Brigade. He was one of the officers tagged in the disappearance and alleged abduction of activist Jonas Burgos eight years ago.

Military officials said Clement’s promotion means that he has already been cleared of any liability in relation to the Burgos case.

Witnesses said Burgos was seized by armed men in a mall in Quezon City on April 28, 2007.

He was allegedly brought to a Toyota Revo van whose license plates were traced to another vehicle earlier impounded by the military in Bulacan. Clement was chief of the Bulacan-based 56^th Infantry Battalion when Burgos went missing.

The Justice department has also cleared several active and retired military officers implicated in the Burgos case due to lack of probable cause.

Cleared from arbitrary detention charges were former Armed Forces chief Hermogenes Esperon, former Army chief Romeo Tolentino, retired general Alexander Yano and former Philippine National Police chief Avelino Razon. Also cleared were then Colonels Melquiades Feliciano and Eduardo Año, now a lieutenant general and the chief of the Philippine Army.

Prior to being named chief of the 602^nd brigade, Clement was the Chief of the Army Resource Management Office. Other posts he held include executive officer of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operation, and chief of the Army Security and Escort Battalion.

Cabreros is the deputy chief of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command and is also a graduate of PMA class ‘85.  

He served as chief of the 1003rd Brigade, Chief of Staff of the 7th Infantry Division, deputy chief of the 703rd Brigade, and assistant chief of the Unified Command Staff for Intelligence and Operations of the Northern Luzon Command.

Another member of PMA class ‘85, Javier is the head of the Armed Forces Procurement Service.

He was also the General Manager of the Armed Forces Commissary and Exchange Service. Other posts he handled include Head Executive Assistant to the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Assistant Chief of Unified Command Staff for Logistics of the Northern Luzon Command, and chief of the Army Forward Service Support Unit.

Evangelista, meanwhile, is the Regiment Commander of the Army’s Special Forces Regiment. A graduate of PMA class ‘86, he served as Acting Commandant of the Special Forces School, chief of the Light Reaction Battalion, and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the Special Operations Command.