New Westmincom chief assumes post

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — Maj. Gen. Roy Galido has assumed his post as the new chief of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom).

Galido took over the post from Maj. Gen. Arturo Ramos at the change of command ceremony presided by Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Andres Centino on Friday.

Rojas was promoted chief of the Special Operations Command based at Fort Magsaysay.

Galido vowed to crush loose firearms, which he described as “tools of violence and terrorism.”

“If we want peace, we have to first remove the main tools of violence, which are (loose) firearms,” he said.

Galido said the military would work closely with its counterpart in the Philippine National Police to crack down on unlicensed guns.

He said the Westmincom through its joint task forces in Central and Western Mindanao would also continue its campaign against remnants of terrorist groups.

Galido said the military would implement an existing operational template in crushing terrorist groups in coordination with local government units, various stakeholders and peace advocates.

He said the security template has been proven effective in wiping out terrorist groups in Basilan, Sulu,Tawi-Tawi and parts of Central Mindanao.

At the same time, Galido said the military is open to dialogues with radical groups to address their concerns.