MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - Major General Reynaldo Mapagu has been named the new commanding general of the Philippine Army.

Mapagu replaces General Delfin Bangit, who took his oath as Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff on Thursday.

Like Bangit, Mapagu is also a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of '78, of which President Arroyo is an honorary member.

He is a former commander of the elite Scout Ranger regiment, and replaced General Danny Lim as Scout Ranger commander after Lim led the Fort Bonifacio standoff in February 2006.

Mapagu was also chief of the AFP National Capital Region (NCR) command, the anti-coup force in Metro Manila.

Before his appointment as the new Philippine Army chief, he also served as the 10th Infantry Division chief.

Mapagu said he is honored by the appointment, adding he will focus on the fight against the insurgency and on keeping the coming election honest and peaceful.

In a statement, Mapagu said he takes the appointment as "a challenge and an opportunity to sustain the gains of the [military] organization."

"Most importantly, I consider it as a sacred covenant between myself, our country and people. A covenant to build an army that the people truly deserves and that we can all be proud of," he added.

Mapagu beat more senior officers, including Southern Luzon command chief Roland Detabali, Eastern Mindanao command chief Raymundo Ferrer, and Northern Command chief Ricardo David. -- report from ANC; Ces Drilon, ABS-CBN News