BY GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Brig. Gen. Noel Baluyan yesterday took over temporarily the command of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division following the mandatory retirement of its commander, Maj. Gen. Eric Vinoya.
Army chief Maj. Gen. Andres Centino presided over the retirement ceremony for Vinoya, who retired from the military service on Sept. 6, and designation of Assistant Division Commander Baluyan as 3ID acting commander, which was held at Camp Macario Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz.
Maj. Cenon Pancito III, 3ID spokesperson, yesterday said that President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to sign the appointment of an Army general, whose identity he has withheld, as the incoming 3ID commander.
Baluyan said that he will maintain the operations tempo of 3ID to sustain the gains of the previous commanders, no matter how short the duration of his acting capacity will be.
Prior to his designation as ADC and acting commander of 3ID, Baluyan served as the commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade in Negros Oriental.
Maj. Gen. Pio Diñoso, former commander of the 8th Infantry Division, was also appointed earlier as the new commander of the AFP Visayas Command, replacing Lt. Gen. Roberto Ancan, who also retired from the military service.
Vinoya, Ancan and newly-retired AFP chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, are all members of the Philippine Military Academy 1987, and who had served assignments in Negros Island.*
