HONOR SYSTEM Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. urges the country’s leaders to respect tradition in the appointment of senior officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including its chief of staff. At his first joint command conference on Thursday, Galvez says it is time to “look to the future” after the controversy over the sudden change of command in the military. —LYN RILLON
Newly appointed Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. pledged on Thursday to protect the integrity of the promotion system at the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as he called on the country’s leaders to “respect the traditions and power” of the military top brass in the appointment of key officials.
“That is the one thing we are asking [of] our leaders—to respect the traditions and also the mandated power of the Board of Generals and our senior officers,” he said, referring to the AFP body that makes recommendations on the best qualified officers for senior military posts, including the chief of staff.
Galvez made the statement as he presided over his first joint command conference with the Department of National Defense (DND) and AFP after replacing DND officer in charge Jose Faustino Jr., who quit his post after being kept out of the loop regarding the abrupt change of command at the AFP last week.
Meritocracy, fairness
Galvez was joined by the reappointed AFP chief, Gen. Andres Centino, who took over from Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro during the low-key Jan. 7 turnover rites at Camp Aquinaldo in Quezon City that had sent ripples of shock through the national security sector.
“Once we go forward, we will make sure that meritocracy, inclusivity and sense of fairness will always be there in the professionalization of the Armed Forces,” Galvez said.
“We can assure that during our watch, we will always maintain the integrity of the Board of the Generals and the decisions of the Board of Senior Officers,” he said during a press briefing.
By tradition, the AFP chief of staff and other top officials are selected based on the recommendations of the Board of Generals, which is composed of the incumbent chief of staff and other top military generals, including the commanders of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force.
Still ‘many questions’
The board submits names to the DND, which vets them and endorses a shortlist to the President, who makes the final decision.
A senior administration official earlier told the Inquirer that Malacañang’s sudden reappointment of Centino without Faustino’s knowledge had “bastardized” the process.
But another senior official said Centino had been replaced only because a faction in Malacañang had allegedly orchestrated his ouster to make way for Bacarro and the reappointment was to rectify the “wrong” done to him.
Galvez said he hoped that the defense and military leaderships could put the matter behind them, though he acknowledged that “many questions” remained about what happened.
“We have to look to the future and look back at some lessons on what we have learned from that … We have to respect the decision and the wisdom of the President,” he said.
Centino, for his part, said that as soldiers, AFP personnel could only follow orders.
“It’s the decision of the President to appoint or terminate the designation of the chief of staff. So as a soldier, we just have to abide,” he said during the press briefing.
“When I relinquished command of the AFP last year, I accepted the order of the President and waited for my retirement. And again, when I was appointed, I have to accept the order,” he said.
Centino, the only four-star general in the military, remained in the service even after he was replaced by Bacarro in August last year.
‘Up to the President’
Bacarro, a three-star general who enjoyed Faustino’s support, had assumed office only a month before he was due to retire at the age of 56. He was supposed to be the first beneficiary of Republic Act No. 11709, which prescribed a fixed three-year term for key positions in the AFP, including its chief of staff.
Centino will reach the mandatory retirement age on Feb. 4, but it is not yet known if he will serve a fresh three-year term, as permitted under the new law, or be asked to give way to someone else.
Asked about it, the AFP chief only said: “It’s really up to the President.”
The conference brought together more than 180 senior defense officials and top military commanders across the country.Keep focus intact
Addressing them, Galvez said he would continue the initiatives Faustino had started, consistent with national security goals.
“I know we have bigger challenges way ahead but if we can work together we can make things happen to find lasting solutions to our security problems,” he said.
Galvez said President Marcos had asked the defense and military establishment to “keep our focus intact.”
“We have two major focus: to maintain the integrity of our country and second is to eliminate the different insurgencies,” he said.
“We would like to convey to the President that the AFP and the DND are intact and we are looking forward on the thrusts, goals and guidelines that we have to accomplish for 2023 and beyond,” Galvez said.