Brigadier General Krishnamurti Mortela, alumnus of DMMMSU-NLUC has been recently promoted as Commanding Officer of the 701st Infantry Brigade, Philippine Army based in Davao Oriental. Brig. Gen. Mortela is recognized for his support and active participation in  development initiatives of Lumon Community – a people’s organization of the 701st Infantry Kagitingan Brigade in cooperation with the local government  and non-government organizations.

Mortela graduated as Valedictorian in the former Sapilang Elementary School (now  the College of Education – Elementary Laboratory School) and  as a Valedictorian at the CE- Agricultural Science High School, Class of 1985. Popularly known as Krishna among his friends and in DMMMSU-NLUC community, his childhood ambition was to become a successful civil engineer. However, his compassion for people led him to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).  After his military service and officer training at the PMA, he was immediately assigned for combat in Mindanao until 2001 but with intermittent assignments in Luzon.

Mortela holds two (2) Master’s degrees — MS in Defense Analysis from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and MA in Public Administration Major in Development and Security from the Development Academy of the Philippines.

He may have not become a civil engineer but he now builds not only physical structures but also builds and rebuilds lives of people in the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) of the country through the Lumon Community’s Project HALIK (Health, Agriculture, Livelihood, Indigenous Culture, and Knowledge), and PABAHAYanihan (free housing for the poor). (SPB)