He served as the overall ground commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi during the Battle of Marawi, where he, along with then-Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez Jr. and other AFP generals spearheaded the overall military operations against the Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf. He also implemented innovative tactics and strategies against the terrorists, such as placing wood and steel planks on the AFP's armored vehicles to counter against enemy RPGs. On October 5, 2017, as the final phase of operations in Marawi materialized, he was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, replacing then-Army Chief Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda, and was promoted to Lieutenant General. As the Chief of the Philippine Army, he led the formulations of new doctrines and changes in the army's modernization program against terrorism, communist insurgencies, and external defense, as part of the lessons learned from urban warfare. He retired from military service on October 15, 2018, as he was replaced by then-Commander of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP) Major General Macairog S. Alberto.