KORONADAL CITY — The new commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division assured Saturday to emulate his predecessors who had secured the surrender of 378 violent religious extremists in the past four years.
Major Gen. Roberto Capulong, who shall oversee the 6th ID in acting capacity, assumed on June 15, according to his deputy, Brig. Gen. Eduardo Gubat.
Capulong belonged to Class ’90 of the Philippine Military Academy.
The 6th ID, whose headquarters is in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao, is bereft of a commander since the May 21 retirement of Major Gen. Juvymax Uy, a member PMA’s Class ’89.
Capulong is no stranger to 6th ID’s territory, having served as commander of the 602nd Infantry Brigade, a component unit of the division based in Carmen, North Cotabato.
While brigade commander, Capulong and local government units in North Cotabato province managed to secure, via backchannel efforts, the surrender of a number of members of the outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and its ally, the Dawlah Islamiya.
Both groups, tagged in all deadly bombings in central Mindanao since 2014, operates in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria and has a reputation for attacking non-military targets to get even for losses in clashes with pursuing state forces.
Capulong said he will sustain the efforts of the division in facilitating the reintegration into mainstream society of members of both groups wishing to return to the fold of law.
Capulong on Friday visited the headquarters of the Navy’s 1st Marine Brigade in Camp Iranun in the upland Barira town in Maguindanao, where Marine personnel, led by their top official, Col. Eric Macaambac, gave him traditional military honors.
Maguindanao’s adjoining Barira, Buldon, Parang and Matanog towns, and three more in nearby Lanao del Sur are being secured by the Marines but are all under the jurisdiction of 6th ID.
The division also covers the provinces of North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Tacurong, Koronadal and General Santos.
While in Camp Iranun, Capulong lauded the Marines for their peacekeeping missions in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.