Yano takes over as Army chief, told to continue operations in Basilan and Sulu

By Ronron
August 24, 2007

Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano took over on Friday the Philippine Army command post left by Lt. Gen. Romeo Tolentino, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Yano, 54, is the former commander of the Southern Luzon Command based in Lucena City, Quezon. His assumption makes him the 49th commander of the 80,000-strong Philippine Army.

On his first day as Army chief, Yano was ordered by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. to continue the offensives against terrorists in Basilan and Sulu, which has began since July of this year.

“My order of the day is that there should be no let up or change in tempo in pursuing the Abu Sayyaf Group and other lawless elements in Sulu and Basilan. We must be uncompromising against those who seek to disobey the law, especially the terrorist elements,” Teodoro said in his speech during the turn over of command ceremony held at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

Sought for his response, Yano told reporters after the ceremony: “We will fully support it. There will be no let up in the operations.”

“We will so to it that our soldiers will be properly sustained and supported… Rest assured that we will fully support our combat troops to make them fit to fight,” he added.

In his speech, Yano acknowledged that the threat posed by the terrorists, as well as of the secessionist movement in the southern Philippines and the communist movement all over the country, “are real and continue to be an impediment to the full realization of our economic goals.”

Asked if he will frequently go to Zamboanga City, Basilan and Sulu to oversee the operations against the Moslem extremists, Yano said: “That depends upon the situation. There may be no need for me to always go there because there are commanders there and we do not want also to interfere in their ongoing operations.”

Yano said that as Army chief, he will also strictly impose “standards of physical fitness” for commanders as he believes that “a healthy body equates to a sound mind.”

“I believe that our commanders must be with the men in the filed, sharing their difficulties and closely supervising their actions,” he said. “Good leaders do what they preach, and we shall walk the talk.”

If commanders do that, he said their men will be inspired to “take the extra step and walk the extra mile, all for the accomplishment of their mission.”

“It will provide a moral high ground for the institution to be able to defeat its enemies,” said Yano./DMS