Aquino defends shooting title in ‘Games of Generals’

MANILA, Philippines – The annual “Games of the Generals,” a shooting competition led by President Aquino and the military top brass, opens this Saturday at the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.

Dubbed “The Ultimate Shooting Challenge,” the competition is hosted by the Army as a “fitting tribute” to its chief, Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes, who will step down on February 7 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

President Aquino, the champion in last year’s games, is expected to appoint a new Army chief on the same day.

The Inquirer learned that among the strong contenders to succeed Coballes are Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Gregorio Catapang; 7th Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Hernando Iriberri; and Maj. Gen. John Bonafos, head of the Central Command and former chief of the Army’s Special Operations Command.

Catapang is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy– Class ’81; Bonafos, PMA Class ’82; and Iriberri, PMA Class ’83.

A source told the Inquirer that Catapang and Iriberri are expected to join the competition. Bonafos will remain in the Visayas in view of Tropical Storm “Basyang” which is expected to make landfall in the region today.

Competitors will come from the Army, Air Force, Navy, General Headquarters, Department of National Defense, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Presidential Security Group. Nikko Dizon