The Philippine Army welcomed three new members of the General Staff in a joint change of chiefs of offices ceremony at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City Saturday.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Renato David led the ceremony.

Colonel Donato San Juan assumed office as the new Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1, replacing Col. Edmundo Pangilinan.

The OG1, PA is the principal staff assistant to the Commanding General on all matters pertaining to the personnel management of the Philippine Army. Its functions include crafting and implementing sound personnel management policies to better address operational requirements of tactical units; improving and delivering quality, health services; enhancing pension, gratuity, and separation system in the PA; frontloading of various personnel services to field units; establishing housing and accommodation facilities for Army personnel; and promoting internal consolidation efforts.

Col. Oscar Lactao assumed as the new Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations, G3, replacing Col. Buenaventura Pascual. The OG3, PA is the principal staff assistant to the Commanding General, PA on matters concerning operations, organization, and CAFGU administration.

Col. Robert Arevalo, meanwhile, assumed as the new Assistant Chief of Staff for Logistics, G4, replacing Col. Gamaliel S. Cruz. The OG4 is the principal staff assistant to the Commanding General, PA, in the exercise of command and management along the main areas of logistics, materiel development and self-reliant defense posture programs, and base development.

Its mission is to efficiently and effectively provide logistics and support services to Army units in order to ensure the accomplishment of their assigned tasks.

According to Col. Antonio Parlade, Jr., Army spokesman, “The Philippine Army as a professional organization recognizes that changes or movements in leadership, reshuffle of key officers, promotions and change of positions are part of the dynamics and essential mechanisms in a military institution.”

He said Army commanding general, Maj. Gen. Arturo Ortiz, emphasized during his command guidance that commanders will be carefully selected based largely on character, competence, and capacity to perform assigned mission/ task.

“The Command, believing in the experience and wisdom of the newly designated general officers, has its high confidence that these changes shall contribute to the fulfillment of the Army’s thrust and mission,” said Parlade.