President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo yesterday replaced the chief of the military Southern Command, as part of the continuing revamp in the security forces which have recently been rocked by accusations of conniving with Moro extremists holding several hostages in southern Basilan.

Lt.-Gen. Gregorio Camiling, Southern Command chief, was ordered replaced by Maj.-Gen. Roy Cimatu, current deputy chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

AFP Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Diomedio Villanueva, said he hoped the campaign against separatists and bandit groups on the southern main island would improve with the transfer of Cimatu to Southcom, the biggest command which has more than 50 per cent of the manpower and resources of the military under it.

Maj.-Gen. Cimatu commanded an army division in Mindanao under Southcom before he was transferred to Manila.

"General Cimatu is taking over as Southcom commander because Gen. Camiling is now the acting vice-chief of staff of the AFP as approved by the president. Cimatu is known to be a very competent soldier and tactical and operational commander," Lt.-Gen. Villanueva stated.

Lt.-Gen. Camiling's transfer from Southcom comes on the heels of a revamp in Southcom, following a fiasco last June 2 in Basilan's Lamitan town where some 200 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas holding several hostages, including three Americans, were able to slip past a military encirclement.

Immediately after the incident, the chief of the army division, as well as the battalion commander who led the troops in Lamitan, were replaced.