Lt. General Paul Atal vacated his post as commander of the Central Command (Centcom) this morning.
Atal, who will now be reporting to the Armed Forces General Headquarters in Quezon City, will be replaced by Major General Noel Clemente.
In a message which he delivered during the turnover of command on Thursday morning, Atal said that during his 10-month leadership, Centcom managed to introduce improvements on their units despite funding limitations.
He expressed appreciation to the support that they have been getting from the national and local governments and other sectors including the Church in their implementation of the AFP’s Transformation Roadmap.
But Atal said that the AFP, on its own, will not be able to address peace and order concerns in the region. They also need the help of the civilians.
He also asked soldiers to give their full support to Clemente.
In his speech, Clemente said that his administration will continue to coordinate with law enforcement units to ensure the conduct of a peaceful mid-term election on May 2019.
AFP-7, he said, will also continue to work with their partner stakeholders in order to suppress the rebel movements in the region.
“I am humbled to succeed Lt. Gen. Atal,” said Clemente.