Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Lt Gen. Emmanuel Bautista INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines– Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Emmanuel Bautista will step down from service days ahead of his mandatory retirement next month.
Bautista will retire on July 18, or two days ahead of his mandatory retirement, said military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala on Friday.
The retiring AFP chief, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1981, will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 20.
A testimonial review in his honor will be hosted by the Philippine Army at its headquarters in Fort Bonifacio days ahead of his retirement date. But it has yet to be scheduled. Bautista is a member of the 80,000-strong Army.
Contenders to replace Bautista include AFP Vice Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gregorio Pio Catapang, Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado and Navy chief Vice Admiral Jesus Millan.
Bautista has been serving as AFP chief since January 2013.