Bergante, Marcelino promoted

TWO senior military officials, including the commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom), have been promoted to the next higher rank.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. led the donning of rank ceremony for the two, Lt. Gen. Luis Rex Bergante and Brig. Gen. Ferdinand Marcelino, at Camp Aguinaldo last Wednesday.

Bergante and Marcelino were promoted from the rank of major general and colonel, respectively.

Bergante assumed the post as Eastmincom commander last June 7 while Marcelino took over as the AFP Provost Marshall General last May 31.

Brawner congratulated Bergante and Marcelino for their promotion even as he emphasized the significant responsibilities that come along with this.

“Today, we are proud to recognize the promotions of two exemplary leaders,” said Brawner.

“I would like to challenge you both to maintain the peace and address our territorial defense operations in your area of responsibility more efficiently and effectively,” added Brawner.

Bergante, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1990, was the chief of the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command before assuming the post of Eastmincom commander.

Marcelino, of the PMA class 1994, was previously assigned with the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP).

In January 2016, Marcelino and a Chinese companion, Yan Yi Shou, were nabbed by Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and PNP personnel during a raid at a drug laboratory in Manila. The operation resulted in the recovery of 77 kilos of shabu worth 380 million.

The two were charged before the Manila regional trial court but were released from detention in May 2017 after the Department of Justice (DOJ) withdrew the charges against them.

The DOJ said it cleared Marcelino and Shou of the charges after the two “sufficiently proved that they were in (the) performance of lawful duty when they were chanced upon by the PNP and PDEA joint team” at the drug laboratory.

The DOJ said this negated the evidence presented by the PDEA and PNP that Marcelino and Shouo were involved in the manufacture and possession of illegal drugs.

Marcelino, then the superintendent of the Naval Candidate Officer School, said he was gathering