Combat-tested general new EV Army chief

CATBALOGAN CITY — A combat-tested major general of the Philippine Army who was instrumental in the dismantling of four communist guerilla units in Samar was named as the new commander of the 8th Infantry (Stormtroopers) Division.

Major General Camilo Ligayo officially assumed office as the new Commander of Eastern Visayas in a turnover ceremony at Camp Vicente Lukban on 21 October 2022.

In a Change of Command Ceremony presided by the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, Lieutenant General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. turned over the command to the former 34th Vice
Commander of the Philippine Army from Brigadier General Zosimo Oliveros, who was designated as the acting commander after the retirement of Maj. Gen. Edgardo de Leon last month.

Ligayo, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy "MAKATAO" Class of 1989, held key positions such as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Retiree Affairs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (OJ9) and Brigade Commander of the 801st Infantry Brigade, 8th Infantry Division.

In 2019, during his stint as 801st Brigade Commander, Ligayo was instrumental in dismantling four guerrilla fronts of the New People's Army. Under his leadership, the brigade achieved significant victory against the NPA in a single joint operation with 20 body counts and recovery of 33 enemy firearms.

While being focused on military operations, he also put effort into the unit's civil-military operations by organizing the Youth Love Sports as part of the Situational Awareness and Knowledge Management Cluster and Sectoral Unification, Capacity Building and Empowerment Cluster, for the youth sector, in line with the National Task Force for Ending Local Communist Armed Conflict.
In his assumption speech, Ligayo vowed to sustain the command's high gains in internal security operations.

"We will continue to fight against these so-called peace spoilers. As we move forward, we will continue to recognize that the insurgency campaign is a shared responsibility of everyone in government," he said.

"I call upon all our peace and development stakeholders, the different government local units headed by their local chief executives, the regional chief executives for your commitment and support to our ultimate goal in attaining the total defeat of the communist terrorists. Surely, we will be able to attain this strategic defeat of the CPP-NPA-NDF and further prevent their resilience in the region. Together we can succeed," Ligayo added.