New leaders of the Army’s elite forces named

MANILA, Philippines - Two members of the Army’s Scout Rangers have been given new assignments in the military’s elite units.

Brig. Gen. John Bonafos has been appointed commander of the Army’s Special Operations Command (SOCOM), succeeding Brig. Gen. Jet Velarmino, who held the post in an acting capacity.

Meanwhile, Col. Eduardo Davalan has been named new chief of the First Scout Ranger Regiment, succeeding Brig. Gen. Abraham Bagasin who has been appointed deputy chief of the Northern Luzon Command.

Bonafos was camp commander of Camp Aguinaldo before being named SOCOM chief.

A member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class ’82, Bonafos also served as commander of the 802nd brigade, deputy chief of the 302nd brigade and commander of the 15th battalion.

Other key posts he held include Assistant Army Chief of Staff for Education and Training, Chief of Staff of the 3rd Infantry Division and Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the Army’s 2nd and 3rd division.

Meanwhile, Davalan is a graduate of PMA class '85 and the former Assistant Chief of Unified Command Staff of the Western Mindanao Command.

As leader of the Scout Rangers Regiment, Davalan will oversee the operations of forces that specialize in counter-guerrilla warfare. – Alexis Romero