Army’s 19th IB welcomes new commanding officers

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
January 9, 2012

KANANGA, Leyte  –  The officers and men of the 19th Infantry Battalion of the 8th Infantry Division welcomed, on Saturday, January 7, as Lt. Colonel Alejandro Nacnac, took over the command from Lt. Colonel Francis Cabugon.

The installation of Lt. Colonel Nacnac as the 30th Commanding Officer of the 19th IB, was attended by local chief executives, police counterparts, members of the media and civilian guests.

Before his appointment as commanding officer of the 19th IB, Lt. Colonel Nacnac was a general staff of the 8th Infantry Division.

A member of PMA class ’90, Lt. Colonel Nacnac hails from Piddig, Ilocos.  He graduated number one (1) when he took up the Command and General Staff Course Class 53 at AFP Command and General Staff College.

GSC is the highest career course for Philippine military officers. He also served as 8th ID’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Civil-Military Operation (CMO) prior to his designation as commanding officer of 19th IB, the second battalion he commanded in his 22 years of military service.

As the new battalion commander, Nacnac’s first marching order to his troops was to maintain high standard of discipline of the 19th Infantry (Commando) Battalion while serving the people.

“19th IB had a ‘bishop’. Now I’m installing a ‘knight’ in the person of Lt. Col. Nacnac who is equally skilled as his forerunner”, Major General Chan, 8th ID Commander who presided over the ceremony,  said.

Maj. Gen. Chan said he expects more than what Nacnac’s forerunner had accomplished. The 19th IB topped other Army Battalions during the third quarter of year 2011 and hopefully, the whole calendar year.

Moreover, Leyte has been declared Manageable Conflict-Affected and Development Ready province under Cabugon’s tenure, a legacy which the new commanding officer is expected to uphold.

Before leaving 19th IB, Lt. Colonel Cabugon wrote a book entitled, The Implementation of Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) in Leyte, a book which records his experiences on how he battled the communist insurgency in Leyte in barely six (6) months.

Lt. Colonel Cabugon was awarded with one (1) Military Merit Medal and a Command Plaque during the change of command ceremony.