ZAMBOANGA CITY: The military’s Western Mindanao Command, which covers half of Mindanao, is now without any spokesman after its information officer was ordered to report to the office of its former commander, Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, now the Armed Forces Vice chief of staff.

Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang said that he is now with Coballes in Manila for a new assignment.

“After 17 years, I am leaving Mindanao. I am transferring to the Office of the Vice chief of staff. It was fun to work with you and I am hoping to return soon. Thank you,” Cabangbang told journalists.

Former Sixth Infantry Division commander, Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo was named in October as the new chief of the Western Mindanao Command headquarters in Zamboanga City.

And previous attempts by local journalists to interview Ardo had failed because he would always refer     to Cabangbang.

Ardo also did not meet with journalists since then and no press releases had been issued to members of the media despite reports of violence and fighting between troops and rebels in the Western Mindanao the past weeks.

Local journalists said that they now rely on news reports from army commanders in the provinces.

Journalists during Coballes’ stint also had a similar problem because he would not speak to the press and had banned news photographers from taking pictures of wounded soldiers inside the military hospital in Western Mindanao Command.