A Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony held on July 15, 2026, at Camp Peralta in Jamindan, Capiz, marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Philippine Army's 3rd Infantry "Spearhead" Division (3ID), as Brig. Gen. Joey A. Escanillas formally stepped into the division commander's role, replacing outgoing chief Maj. Gen. Michael G. Samson, who is set to retire from the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete presided over the ceremony, according to the Philippine Army. The event served a dual purpose: welcoming Escanillas into one of the Army's most strategically significant regional commands while also paying tribute to Samson's years of military service and the accomplishments logged under his watch.
A Region of Strategic Weight
In his remarks at the ceremony, Lt. Gen. Nafarrete highlighted the critical role that the 3ID's area of responsibility — encompassing Western and Central Visayas — plays in the country's broader security landscape. He described the region as "a pillar of resilience" and stressed that maximising joint civil-military partnerships and empowering reservists as force multipliers would be essential to keeping it that way.
The Philippine Army said Nafarrete's statement reflects a deliberate pivot in the division's operational posture — away from active counter-insurgency campaigns and toward the longer-term work of consolidating and sustaining peace across a region that has historically been affected by communist insurgency.
Outgoing Commander's Legacy: Dismantled Fronts and Expanded Peace Status
Nafarrete used the occasion to recognise Maj. Gen. Samson's considerable contributions to the 3ID's internal security campaign. Under Samson's command, the division played a central role in defeating communist guerrilla fronts in the provinces of Capiz and Iloilo, according to the Philippine Army.
Perhaps the most significant milestone of Samson's tenure was the attainment of Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status across the division's area of responsibility — a classification that was subsequently extended to the provinces of Iloilo and Antique. Lt. Gen. Nafarrete described this expansion of SIPS status as "a definitive marker" in the 3ID's internal security campaign, underscoring the depth of the gains achieved during Samson's leadership.
Escanillas: A Commander Who Knows the Ground
Escanillas comes to the 3ID's top post with a strong operational foundation. Prior to assuming divisional command, he served as Assistant Division Commander under Samson himself, giving him direct and intimate knowledge of the 3ID's structure, personnel, and ongoing operations.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy's "Maalab" Class of 1993, Escanillas is particularly well known for his work in Negros Oriental, where he commanded the 302nd Infantry "Achiever" Brigade from May 2023 to August 2025, the Philippine Army reported. During that roughly two-year assignment, he led operations that resulted in the dismantling of the South West Front of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros — identified by the Army as the core organisational backbone of the communist insurgency on Negros Island.
The success of those operations in Negros Oriental contributed directly to the 3ID's broader declaration that Negros Island was free of active New People's Army (NPA) guerrilla fronts — a landmark achievement in the region's security history that Escanillas can claim a direct hand in delivering.
New Commander, New Phase
With the transfer of command now formalised, Escanillas takes charge of a division that has already completed what many consider its most difficult work. The 3ID is no longer primarily engaged in active counter-insurgency; instead, it is tasked with cementing and protecting the peace that years of military and civilian cooperation have produced across Western and Central Visayas.
Lt. Gen. Nafarrete, in his ceremony remarks cited by the Philippine Army, pointed to two pillars that will define Escanillas' mandate going forward: deepening joint partnerships with civilian institutions and local government units, and building up the reservist force as a sustainable multiplier of the division's capabilities. These priorities signal a command philosophy oriented toward long-term stability rather than offensive operations.
The provinces within the 3ID's area of responsibility have among the most complex histories of insurgency in the Visayas, making the SIPS classifications achieved under Samson all the more significant — and the task of sustaining them all the more demanding for the incoming commander.
Escanillas' combination of Academy-forged discipline, hands-on experience dismantling an entire guerrilla front on Negros Island, and two years working directly alongside Samson positions him as a commander well-prepared for the challenges of this next phase of the division's mission.
By the Numbers
- July 15, 2026 — Date of the Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony at Camp Peralta, Jamindan, Capiz
- Class of 1993 — Escanillas' Philippine Military Academy graduating class ("Maalab")
- May 2023 to August 2025 — Period of Escanillas' command of the 302nd Infantry "Achiever" Brigade in Negros Oriental
- 3 provinces — Iloilo, Antique, and the 3ID's core operating area have all attained Stable Internal Peace and Security (SIPS) status under the division's campaign
Why This Matters
The handover of command at the 3rd Infantry "Spearhead" Division represents a defining transition for one of the Philippine Army's most active regional formations, credited by military leadership with dismantling communist guerrilla fronts across Western and Central Visayas and on Negros Island. The incoming commander, Brig. Gen. Escanillas, carries direct operational experience from Negros Oriental — where he personally oversaw the dismantling of the Komiteng Rehiyonal-Negros's South West Front — into a broader divisional command now focused on locking in those hard-won security gains. Lt. Gen. Nafarrete's stated emphasis on joint civil-military partnerships and reservist empowerment signals that the 3ID's next strategic chapter will be defined not by combat operations, but by the sustained, institution-building work required to make regional peace durable and lasting.
Source: breakingnewsnegros.com