FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila – In a Change of Chief Office ceremony, the Philippine Army (PA) installs its new Chief of Staff (CS) here today, December 20.
Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Gilbert I. Gapay led the turnover of the CS office symbol from the outgoing Maj. Gen. Jesus B. Sarsagat to the incoming Brig. Gen. Rowen S. Tolentino.
Tolentino is a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Makatao” Class of 1989. He accomplished a course in Project Planning, Development and Management in 2004, a Master’s Degree in Business Administration in 2007 and a Senior Executive Course on National Security in 2015. He also took the Armor Captain’s Career Course in the U.S. Army Armor School in 2001 and Command and General Staff Course at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College in 2008.
Prior to his assumption, Tolentino served as the Deputy Commander of the Training and Doctrine Comand of the PA. He served as the Commanding Officer of the 2nd Mechanized Infantry Battalion and 3rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, Light Armor Division; and Assistant Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operations, Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Chief of the Management Fiscal Office at Headquarters Philippine Army.
On the other hand, Sarsagat, who took the post in January this year, is set to retire as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 December 25. After he graduated from PMA as a member of “Maringal” Class of 1988, Sarsagat served combat duty in Southern Tagalog Region with the First Scout Ranger Battalion, First Scout Ranger Regiment as Platoon Leader, and Intelligence and Operations Officer and as Commanding Officer of Charlie Company, 74th Infantry Battalion until 1993. It was then during his Company Commander days when he was critically wounded and obtained the “Scar of War” in Jovellar, Albay in the year 1992. Sarsagat was also designated as the Chief of Unified Command Staff of Northern Luzon Command, Deputy Chief of the Office of the Legislative Affairs, and as the Secretary Joint Staff in General Headquarters, AFP.
“I expect objectivity and truthfulness in your feedbacks, transparency and accountability on matters of logistics and finance, and deliberateness in planning and operations. Let us continue the tradition of excellence that our predecessors have left us as we bring our organization closer to our goal of becoming a world-class Army that is a source of national pride,” said Gapay to Tolentino.#