‘I have big shoes to fill,’ Faustino tells Lorenzana as he assumes DND post

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. on Friday said he has “big shoes to fill” upon assuming the Department of National Defense (DND) leadership.

Faustino made the remark during the virtual ceremony held at the DND Building in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, where outgoing Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana formally turned over the leadership to the former.

The outgoing defense expressed confidence in Faustino’s capabilities as the DND leader.

“He is the right man to do the job,” Lorenzana said in his final speech.

“His success is so consequential that it will define a decades-worth of our defense posture,” the now-former DND chief added.

Faustino, for his part, said in his speech: “As can be gleaned from your accomplishments, I have big shoes to fill.”

“But with the grace of God I vow to lead the department towards excellence guided by the core values of patriotism, professionalism and good governance,” he added.

Outgoing Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana presented the accomplishment report of the Department of National Defense for 2016-2022 to the incoming officer-in-charge of the Undersecretary Jose Faustino, Jr. during the transition ceremony on Friday. Contributed photo

Faustino attended the virtual ceremony despite testing positive for COVID-19 on Thursday.

He will now oversee the operations of the DND and its bureaus: the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Government Arsenal, the National Defense College of the Philippines, the Office of Civil Defense, and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office.

Faustino, who had served as the chief of staff of the AFP during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, was appointed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to head the defense department.

He will then assume his post as Defense Secretary on November 13, 2022, per the one-year ban on the appointment of retired military officers under Republic Act 6975.

EDV/abc