He was joined by Honorable Soraya Alonto Adiong the Governor of Lanao del Sur; Sultan Macmod Dilidig of Pagayawan; BGen Rolando Joselito D Bautista AFP the Commander of 1st Infantry Division, Philippine Army at the same time the Task Force Marawi Commander; and BGen Ramiro Manuel A Rey AFP the Commander of the Special Forces Regiment (Airborne), Special Operations Command, Philippine Army. Lieutenant Colonel Vener Y Morga the outgoing battalion commander handed over more less 500 strong officers and men of the 82nd Infantry Battalion to Lieutenant Colonel Jason V Jumawan taking the lead in joining the larger force of the AFP who is currently fighting against the Maute-ISIS terrorists in Marawi City.
Lieutenant Colonel Morga wanting to finish the fight against the terrorist has to move on to higher position and greater responsibility after completing his stint as the battalion commander. Mgen Aying has expressed his deepest appreciation to the accomplishments contributed by LTC Morga to the 3ID, to the AFP and the country as a whole. Mgen Aying also conveyed his profound and heartfelt thanks to the officers and men of 82IB for supporting LTC Morga during his stint as commander.
On the other hand MGen Aying welcomes LTC Jumawan as the new battalion commander of 82IB with high hopes that his vast military experiences and competencies will be a great help to the unit. “I entrust you to lead and accomplish your mission and take good care of 82IB” Aying said. He also addressed the officers and men of the battalion to continue to perform their mission with courage and vigor in order to help our people liberate Marawi and bring back the peace and development that they deserve. “Stay strong and look into each others’ welfare, stronger than a brother’s bond. We will win the fight and we will end this soon ”Aying added. Further, Mgen Aying stressed out, “There is a need for Muslims and Christians to know and understand each other which is the beginning of the five-step process of peace building towards nation building. Then if you already have a deeper understanding, you will learn to respect each other. And since we have different tribal cultures and beliefs, we must also learn to tolerate, and coexistence will follow. And the final step is interdependence, a state of our society when we are complementing each other. It can only be achieved if we learn to understand, respect, tolerate and coexist with each other. The weakness and strength of one become the strength of everyone and the whole nation - socially, politically and economically as well as security”.
Immediately after the turnover ceremony, MGen Aying together with his staff, the newly installed battalion commander and the Commander of 1ID BGEN Bautista traveled to command post 103rd Infantry Brigade at Campo Ranao, Marawi City for an operational briefing. The Chief of Staff 1st Infantry Division COL Allan Jambala briefed MGen Aying regarding the operational updates on the Marawi situation.