President Aquino has yet to appoint the replacement of Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali, who retires today as commanding general of the Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), a vital unit of the military covering communist-infested areas in the Southern Tagalog region.
In the absence of an order from the commander in chief, Army 2nd Infantry Division (ID) chief Maj. Gen. Eduardo del Rosario will be taking over as Solcom officer-in-charge, said Col. Generoso Bolina, spokesman of Solcom.
Del Rosario said there will be turn over ceremonies between him and Detabali at 9 a.m. this morning.
Detabali, a member of the controversial Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1978 that took in former President and now detained Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo as honorary member, is retiring months ahead of his 56th birthday to avoid attrition.
Solcom is one of the vital units of the military due to its close proximity to the seat of government in Metro Manila. It also secures several communist-infested provinces in Southern Tagalog region.
Talks are rife that incumbent Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) inspector general Lt. Gen. Irineo Espino, of the ruling PMA Class of 1979, is being groomed to replace Detabali.
Described as a well-rounded military officer who had served in various field and administrative units of the AFP, Espino would just be laterally moving to Solcom, being a three-star general.
On the other hand, there has been no information as to who would be replacing Espino as inspector general, a sensitive military position in charge of top-level investigations and other military inquiries.