FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila - The Philippine Army welcomes the new commander of the Army Aviation Regiment in a Change of Command Ceremony presided by the Commanding General, Philippine Army at the Regiment Headquarters, Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Palayan, Nueva Ecija today, May 28.
Col. Jesus Rico D. Atencio relinquished his command to Col. Andre B. Santos in the live-streamed ceremony presided by Lt. Gen. Gilbert I. Gapay.
Santos, a member of PMA Class 1992, previously served as Director of Land Warfare Center, Training and Doctrine Command; and as commander of the Army Aviation Battalion, the precursor unit to the Aviation Regiment. He also served as Chief of the Governance and Strategy Management Office of the Armor Division.
On the other hand, Atencio has led the regiment since its activation on October 2, 2019. He graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1991 and completed the Advance Aviator Course at the Masters Flying School, and the Aviation Safety Officer Course at Fort Rucker, Alabama in 1998.
The regiment has been instrumental in conducting aerial reconnaissance in the 1st Infantry "Tabak" Division, 4th Infantry "Diamond" Division, 7th Infantry "Kaugnay" Division, Central Command, and Southern Luzon Command; and in the conduct of maritime patrols over Northern Luzon Command; implementation of aviation modernization; and contribution to the COVID-19 efforts.
"Let us sustain the momentum in capacitating the service towards mission effectiveness. Let us work towards operational and organizational excellence, closely working with our partners and stakeholders, and uplifting the well-being of our personnel," said Gapay in his speech.#