CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--The Philippine Army (PA) has installed Major General Jose Maria Cuerpo II as the 52nd Commander of the 4th Infantry "Diamond" Division (4ID) in a Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony presided over by the PA Commanding Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner Jr. at the 4ID Grandstand, Camp Evangelista, Patag, here, March 23.

"It is a truly gratifying and heartwarming experience to be given an opportunity to lead such dynamic command with remarkable capabilities, I am grateful for the chance to succeed in a great lineage of commanders whose vision and commitment have steered this command into achieving its missions and goals in line with the armed forces of the Philippines," Cuerpo said.

Cuerpo has replaced Major General Wilbur Mamawag, who recently celebrated his 56th birthday, the mandatory retirement age for military personnel.

The new 4ID commander is from Iligan City and graduated from the Philippine Military Academy "Bigkis-Lahi" in 1990. He has also been the commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade in Marawi City, where he fought against the Dawlah Islamiyah and the Maute group.

During the reading and signing of the new commander's "assumption order," heads of national government agencies (NGAs) and elected officials from regions 10 and 13 showed their support for him.

As the new 4ID commander, Cuerpo will command 4ID’s 3 brigades, 9 battalions, and 8 service support units (SSU) spread out in Northern Mindanao and Caraga.

"Entering these gates, I was overcome with a sense of nostalgic homecoming, this is where I first served as a dashing, young, and idealistic second lieutenant, and now I would like to believe that I have come back as a seasoned officer, no less dashing, I believe, but definitely more experienced and hopefully much wiser," he said. (VPSB/PIA-10)