The military commander as a man of peace

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., the incoming chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, was born to a large family of peasant parents.

The difficult life in his native Bulacan province drove Galvez to strive hard to get into college and earn the chance to become a cadet at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).

The eldest in a brood of 12, Galvez graduated at the PMA in 1985 and immediately served as a Scout Ranger officer under then Lt. Col. Delfin Lorenzana, commander of the 2nd Scout Ranger Battalion, in Davao City.

While serving there in 1987, Galvez was wounded in a clash with rebels in Buhangin district.

But even as a young lieutenant, Galvez already proved his leadership skills.

In 2006, he was sent to the United States under the Eisenhower Fellowship program.

Known as among the “reformists” in the AFP, he viewed soldiery not only as being in the frontline in fighting enemies of the state with force but also as a major contributor “in economic development, human security, and social service support.”

In 2012, as commander of the 104th Infantry Brigade in Basilan, then Colonel Galvez opened a line of communication with Dan Asnawi, the commander of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front’s (MILF) 114th Base Command amid increasing hostilities there that stalled the completion of the provincial circumferential road.

Project completed

That dialogue, according to Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, paved the way for the completion of the 131-kilometer project.

While Galvez and Asnawi’s friendship bloomed and less violence took place in Basilan, the officer also sought dialogues with local Abu Sayyaf commanders.

“He has a big heart, a genuine intention to end hostilities. He walks the talk. I witnessed this when he reached out to notorious Moro rebel groups in Basilan. He literally broke bread with the group of Ustadz Dan Asnawi,” Hataman said.

In 2015, Galvez was tapped to head the government’s ceasefire committee in the negotiations with the MILF, particularly after the fighting in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in January.

He talked with Ustadz Wahid Tundok of the MILF 118th Base Command and Zacaria Goma of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) in the middle of the hostilities.

Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the MILF, said that Galvez, was instrumental in efforts to prevent the Mamasapano clashes from becoming a full-blown conflict, one that could have dragged the peace process down.

Biggest challenge

Just months after his promotion as commander of the 6th Infantry Division in Maguindanao, Galvez became the chief of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) in January 2017 and continued his peace advocacy.

Barely five months at the helm of Westmincom, Galvez took his biggest challenge yet: the siege of Marawi City by Islamic State-inspired Maute group and Abu Sayyaf bandits under Isnilon Hapilon.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana describes Galvez’s appointment as “a good choice from the list of five we submitted to the President.”

‘Professional soldier’

“General Galvez is a very competent professional soldier who has extensive combat and administrative experience,” Lorenzana said, in a text message to the Inquirer. “Most of his assignments were in Mindanao. He will be a good [AFP chief of staff].”

Galvez will replace Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero, who is set to retire on April 18.

The MILF also congratulated Galvez whom Iqbal described as “propeace.”

Dreiza Abato Liniding, chair of the Marawi City-based Moro Consensus Group, said it preferred an officer like Galvez to become the country’s military chief because he knew the issues in Mindanao.

BIFF spokesperson Abu Misri Mama said that with Galvez at the helm of the AFP, the prospects of peace in Mindanao would get better. — WITH REPORTS FROM EDWIN FERNANDEZ, RICHEL UMEL AND JEOFFREY MAITEM