Bongbong Marcos taps ex-Duterte AFP chief to head DND

Former AFP chief of staff Jose Faustino. Image from Twitter / Armed Forces of the Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — Retired Gen. Jose Faustino Jr., who served as chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under President Rodrigo Duterte, will be heading the Department of National Defense (DND) in the Cabinet of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.

Marcos designated Faustino as senior undersecretary and officer-in-charge of the DND, according to incoming press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

After that, Faustino will assume his position as secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) on November 13 of this year, “in compliance with the one-year ban on the appointment of retired military officers under Republic Act 6975,” Cruz-Angeles said in a statement Friday.

Faustino retired as AFP chief on November 12, 2021.

READ: AFP chief Faustino starts farewell tour

“Faustino’s situation was similar to current Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año’s case, whom President Duterte designated as officer-in-charge but later assumed the Secretary position once the appointment ban lapsed,” Cruz-Angeles explained.

She said Faustino is regarded as a “well-respected Mindanao veteran who has served under the special forces, infantry, and intelligence posts.”

Before assuming his post as AFP chief of staff, he served as commanding general of the Philippine Army and as commander of Joint Task Force Mindanao.

/abc