Año successor to be picked from 4 generals

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez (File photo by FRANCES MANGOSING / INQUIRER.net)

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the commander at the helm of the military campaign to retake Marawi City from Islamic State (IS)-inspired terrorists, is among four generals who could succeed Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año, who retires on Oct. 26.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana confirmed to reporters in a text message that Galvez, head of the Western Mindanao Command; Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, chief of the Eastern Mindanao Command; Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Salvador Mison Jr.; and Deputy Chief of Staff Vice Adm. Narciso Vingson are on the short list of the Board of Generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Candidates for key positions in the AFP usually undergo interviews with the President, the chief of staff and the Defense Secretary.

Among the four, Guerrero and Galvez are rumored to be the strongest contenders.

Guerrero supposedly has the backing of the President’s daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.
Security experts say Año’s retirement comes at a time when Mr. Duterte tries to deflect corruption allegations and the military is being watched for the actions it may take.

Francisco Ashley Acedillo, a former military officer, told the Inquirer that while the military should be apolitical, it was important for the Armed Forces to be aware that they are protectors of the people and the state, which “is not synonymous to protecting the President and the government.”

Accountability

“For now, it is being made synonymous to protecting the President and the administration. But let us remember, people must be made to account. The AFP should not be instruments for stifling calls for accountability,” Acedillo said.

University of the Philippines professor Chester Cabalza said new military commanders “should understand their positions in the current administration despite allegations and unresolved security challenges,” including the Marawi siege, the communist insurgency, and the South China Sea dispute with China.

Cabalza said Mr. Duterte’s constant courting of the police and especially of the military, and surrounding himself with retired generals and appointing them to government posts, were signs of “Herculean power and strongman rule.”

There were 59 retired military generals, police directors, admirals and colonels who had been appointed to posts in the Duterte Cabinet and other agencies, including government-owned corporations, as of June this year.