AFP welcomes 1st woman surgeon-general

Col. Fatima Claire Navarro (Facebook: Armed Forces of the Philippines)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur––The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) welcomes the country’s first female surgeon-general.

AFP Chief of Staff Lt. General Cirilito Sobejana confirmed to The Inquirer the appointment of Colonel Fatima Claire S. Navarro to the post effective Thursday, July 1, replacing Col. Nelson S. Pecache, the outgoing surgeon- general.

Navarro’s appointment came through a letter from Malacanang addressed to National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, of which Sobejana got a copy.

Navarro, 53, finished her Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Santo Tomas in 1992, after which she took her postgraduate medical internship at the AFP Medical Center until 1993.

After her internship, Navarro entered military service as probationary 2nd Lieutenant in the Technical Service Probation Officers Course, graduating on top of her class.

Later, she joined and served in the Philippine Air Force General Hospital as part of her Naval Education and Training.

In 1995, she underwent Pediatrics Residency Training at the AFP Medical Center and received her certification from the Philippine Pediatrics Society three years later.

Navarro held various positions at the AFP Medical Center, now known as Victoriano Lina Medical Center, where she served as chief.

Upon the pandemic outbreak, Navarro has been designated deputy commander of the AFP Regional Task Force in the National Capital Region Comprehensive and Responsive Elements, providing operational support to the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

LZB