Ancan, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987, was appointed 1st Infantry Division commander in February.

Maj. Gen. Roberto Ancan, the commander of the Zamboanga Del Sur-based 1st Infantry Division (ID), formally assumed leadership of the Cebu-headquartered Central Command (Centcom) Thursday.

He replaced Centcom acting commander, Maj. Gen. Dinoh Dolina in a ceremony presided by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff, Gen. Noel Clement held at Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City.

Clement was previously Centcom commander prior to his appointment to the military’s top position.

Ancan, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987, was appointed 1st Infantry Division commander in February.

“During his stint as the 1st ID (Infantry Division) Commander, he has led his unit to several successes and among them were notable accomplishments on the neutralization of high valued individuals and clearing of several guerrilla fronts,” Clement said.

Prior to his present position, he was designated as head of the 1002nd Infantry Brigade and the commanding officer of the AFP Peacekeeping Operations Center that managed the organization, training, and deployment of AFP units to the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

He was also the commander of the 25th Infantry Battalion, 72nd Infantry Battalion, and 66th Infantry Battalion and was posted as a UN military observer in Timor Leste.

“Based on his long list of accomplishments of which I have personally witnessed, we can deduce that Major General Ancan (has) the characteristic of leader that we are looking for to sustain and even intensify our efforts to enforce EO 70 and other initiatives of the command,” Clement added.

Ancan is a graduate of the Basic Airborne, Scout Ranger, Field Artillery, Explosive Ordnance and Disposal, and Peacekeeping courses; and finished at the top of his Command and General Staff Course class at the AFP Command and General Staff College.