Major General Fernyl G Buca, the first-ever Philippine Air Force Officer to take over Northern Luzon Command formally assumes post as its 33rd Commander during the Change of Command ceremony presided by the AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Andres Centino at Camp Aquino, Tarlac City the other day.
Maj. Gen Buca was the former Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, J4 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in charge of the overall logistics support to its AFP units.
Maj Gen Buca also became the Air Force Inspector General in charge of ensuring the performance of the mission, state of morale and discipline, efficiency and effectiveness of the whole Philippine Air Force.
The two-star general was also named the “King Mentor” of the Air Education, Training, and Doctrine Command in Lipa City responsible for honing the intelligence and skills of the future leaders of the Philippines Air Force.
With his success and accomplishments on his previous assignments, the new commander vowed to vigorously sustain the momentum set by his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Ernesto C Torres Jr, to decimate the remaining Communist terrorists and ensure the peace, security, and development in the north and central Luzon.
NOLCOM under Lt Gen Torres’ leadership from Jan 2022 to Jan 23, 2023, urged the decrease of CTG manpower by 411 comprising of the neutralization, apprehension, surrender of terrorist personalities and their supporters, as well as the recovery and discovery of 170 assorted CTG firearms.
On its Territorial Defense Operations (TDO), NOLCOM covers the largest area of operations among all other Unified Commands of the Armed Forces of the Philippines including the Bajo De Masinloc, Batanes Strait, and the Philippine Rise. The troops accomplished a total of 77 Air Patrols and 37 Surface Patrols as part of their mission in providing security posture and maritime domain awareness across the said maritime areas.
LtGen Torres also highlighted the command’s relentless Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Operations with several instances of typhoon onslaught in North and Central Luzon including earthquakes wherein NOLCOM was able to respond and deliver help to 62,808 affected families utilizing AFP’s available assets with 37 deployed teams and 509 SRR Teams on standby.
Meanwhile, Gen. Centino lauded the committed service and accomplishments of the Command under the leadership of Lt Gen Torres.
Gen. Centino also emphasized that the Armed Forces of the Philippines now entrusts the Commandership of the “Defenders of the North” to Maj. Gen Buca who has all the credentials, skills, and knowledge to usher lasting peace and sustainable development for the people of Northern Luzon, as well as enforce the country’s sovereignty on our northern borders. (VICTOR BALDEMOR RUIZ)
