THE Philippine Army formally activated the Philippine Army Combat Engineer Regiment (PACER) following the deactivation of the 55th Engineer Brigade in a ceremony held at the unit’s headquarters in Baloi, Lanao del Norte on March 1, 2024.
PACER, led by Brig. Gen. Ulpiano T. Olarte, also formalized the transition of six construction engineer battalions into combat engineer units. The reconfigured units, namely the 500th Engineer Combat Battalion, 551st Engineer Construction Battalion (ECB), 553rd ECB, and 554th ECB under the 55th Engineer Brigade, 525 ECB under the 51st Engineer Brigade, and 524th ECB under the 52nd Engineer Brigade, have transitioned into 500 Combat Engineer Battalion (CEB), 501 CEB, 502 CEB, 503 CEB, 504 CEB, and 525 CEB, respectively. Additionally, the Engineer Support Company and the Combat Engineer School have joined the transformation.
AFP Chief Engineer Maj. Gen. Proceso Rebancos, who graced the ceremony, said the reconfiguration of these combat engineer units highlights the Philippine Army’s strategic foresight for organizational resiliency amid evolving security complexities.
“We strengthen the sustainment forces, including combat engineering capability to readily support our impending shift in our efforts from internal defense to external defense mode,” he said in his remarks.
