The Commanding General, Philippine Army (CGPA) Maj. Gen. Romeo S. Brawner, Jr. installed a new Commander of the 401st Infantry Brigade in a Change of Command Ceremony at the 4th Infantry Division's (4ID) headquarters in Camp Evangelista, Barangay Patag, Cagayan de Oro City, on December 19, 2021.
Col. Rommel Almaria formally assumed as 401BDe Commander, replacing Col. Francisco Lorenzo, who led the brigade in an acting capacity. He is a member of the Philippine Military Class of 1992.
Before his assumption, he was the Chief of Staff of 4ID. He also served as Commander of the 5th Army Training Group (ATG) of the Training and Doctrine Command and as Assistant Chief of Unified Command Staff for Intelligence and Operations of the AFP's Central Command. He also led the Internal Security Operations Division (ISOD) of the AFP Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations (OJ3) at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.
Moreover, Col. Almaria holds a graduate degree in Defense Planning from the Australian Defense College and Strategic Planning Management from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Col. Lorenzo meanwhile served as deputy brigade commander of 401BDe before being designated as the brigade's acting chief.
Maj. Gen. Brawner congratulates the newly installed Brigade Commander as he reiterated his command guidance encapsulated in the acronym SERVE.
"The Philippine Army focuses on our "Soldiers'" physical and mental health. We will also "Enhance" the competencies of our soldiers and units; push down the needed and mission-essential "Resources" for the Philippine Army to become "Victorious" against state enemies. This will equip our units to help the Comelec ensure peaceful, orderly, and credible national elections in May 2022," Maj. Gen. Brawner said.
"Serve defines our leadership principle. We will push the principle of servant leadership. As soldiers, we are the servants of our fellow countrymen," the CGPA concluded.