Lt. General Eduardo Año. Noy Morcoso III/INQUIRER.net
Army chief Lieutenant General Eduardo Año has been appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a source in Malacañang said.
Just like the tradition in the previous administration, the successor of the retiring AFP chief was only known to the public on the day of the turnover itself.
AFP chief General Ricardo Visaya will bow out of service on Wednesday, as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Visaya and Año are both from the Philippine Military Academy “Matikas” Class of 1983.
Talks in military circles said that Año’s closest contender was Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command based in Davao, the hometown of Duterte. He is a member of PMA Class 1984.
Before he was named Army chief in July 2015, Año led the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, which covers Davao region and parts of Soccsksargen. It was during his stint there when New People’s Army commander Leoncio Pitao alias Kumander Parago, the most prominent rebel leader in Southern Mindanao, was killed by the military in an encounter in Paquibato district.
Año, a seasoned intelligence officer, was the former chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP when security forces arrested Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, leaders of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
The new AFP chief was also linked to the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos, but was later cleared of the charges.
Año will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Oct. 26, 2017. CBB