Arroyo approves splitting of AFP Southern Command

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo approved on Friday recommendations of the military to split its unified command in southern Philippines to further the government’s campaign against communist rebels. Presiding over the Armed Forces change of command in Camp Aguinaldo Friday, the President said: “We will split the Southcom (Southern Command) into two. General (Generoso) Senga recommended these reforms and I approved them without second thoughts." Senga retired from military service upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 Friday. He was replaced by Army commander Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon. "I will propose splitting the Southcom into two commands for more focus on the communist guerilla fronts," Esperon said in his assumption speech as the 35th Armed Forces chief. The Southcom covers the entire southern Philippines. The largest unified command in the military, it is at the forefront of the war against Islamic and leftist rebels. A regional terrorist group, the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) also has its presence felt in the troubled Mindanao region. Esperon said a new division headquarters would be set up in southeastern Mindanao, a hotbed of the communist New People's Army. "We shall complement our rapid force build-up with enhanced command and control structure," he said. On June 16, President Arroyo vowed to crush the communist insurgency in two years’ time. Her security officials, however, gave a different timeline, saying the daunting task could be accomplished within six to 10 years. But Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr said that within the President’s timeline, the strength of communist guerrillas in northern and central Luzon, and in Sorsogon province, would be “drastically" reduced. - GMANews.TV