ILIGAN CITY —– The former spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) during the 2017 Marawi has been tasked to lead the Army’s 53rd Infantry Battalion based in Guipos town in Zamboanga del Sur.
Lieutenant Colonel Jo-arr Herrera replaced Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria in a change of command ceremony held at the battalion’s headquarters on Thursday in Camp Sabido, Barangay Poblacion
Patria will assume as assistant chief of staff for Civil Military Operations of the 1st Infantry Division in Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur.
Herrera served as the media’s point person of the defunct Task Group Ranao during the early months of the siege and later replaced by Brigadier General Romeo Brawner.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1999, Herrera is a ranger who topped his class in Psyops Officers Course in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, USA.
He is a graduate of Master of Arts major in Social and Development Studies in UP Baguio. He completed his Command and Staff Course in Goh Keng Swee Command and Staff College, Singapore.
In his acceptance speech, Herrera thanked the leadership of the command for providing his the opportunity to serve the post.
He asked stakeholders of peace in the province to actively participate in the maintenance of peace and order and in fighting the enemies of the state, as he committed to continue the legacy left by his predecessor.-Divina Suson
