A new Philippine Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Command and Control, Communications, and Cyber Systems (G6) assumed post in a Change of Chief of Office Ceremony presided by acting Army Chief of Staff and concurrent Army Inspector General Maj. Gen. Roy M. Galido at the Headquarters Philippine Army, Fort Bonifacio, Metro Manila on July 5, 2022.
Incoming G6 Col. Constancio M. Espina II took over the post from outgoing G6 Col. Patriach Robinson P. Pel who will assume as the Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for C4ISTAR, J6, of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Col. Espina held key Signal Corps posts such as G6 of the 4th Infantry Division; Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations of the Army Signal Regiment (ASR); Commanding Officer of the Net Battalion, ASR; and various cyber posts under the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The incoming G6 belongs to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Bantay Laya” Class of 1994. He holds two Master’s degrees: Management Information from the University of the Philippines Open University and Public Management from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP).
Meanwhile, Col. Pel holds a Master’s degree in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines and Master in Public Management from DAP. He is a member of the PMA “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992.
The Acting Chief of Staff lauded Col. Pel for sustaining the operations and maintenance of the Philippine Army’s 13 communication centers which serve as the Army’s central communications hub and for initiating the deployment of additional Mobile Command Centers (MCC) and installation of Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSAT) for Philippine Army Major Units and forward operating bases.
“Through his efforts, the command will have 16 operational MCCs and 226 deployed VSATs within the year,” Maj. Gen. Galido said of Col. Pel. He also lauded the outgoing G6 for institutionalizing the Blue Force Tracking System which provides ground commanders with vital information needed in making timely and sound decisions.
Maj. Gen. Galido likewise challenged Col. Espina to facilitate the realization of the 2nd Horizon of the Revised AFP Modernization Program for C4ISTAR. “I trust that you will ensure the completion of requirements for the activation of various units that are a crucial addition to the Army Signal Corps,” he remarked.
Photos by Pfc Rodgen V Quirante PA/ OACPA