AFP chief says successor must be adept at solving domestic threats

Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., AFP chief of staff (File photo by CATHY MIRANDA / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — Armed Forces chief Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr., who is retiring next week, believes that his successor should be a veteran in dealing with the country’s internal security issues.

But while the next AFP chief should be adept in addressing insurgency and armed extremism problems, he must also be concerned in solving external defense matters like the West Philippine Sea.

“Ang nakikita ko kailangan adept dito sa ating internal problems. Hindi tayo maka-move forward because of these problems,” Madrigal told reporters Tuesday.

[What I see is that he has to be adept in handling internal problems. We can’t move forward because of these problems.]

Early this month, President Rodrigo Duterte renewed his call to the military to end communist rebellion, the longest-running in Asia.

“Yan yung isang mandato na parating binabanggit ng mahal na Pangulo. Wag na nating ipasa sa susunod na administrasyon. Gusto niya matapos na ang problemang pangkapayapaan,” Madrigal said.

The military also continues to face challenges on local terrorism, especially with the threat from Islamic State-affiliated groups, but the outgoing AFP chief said they had made some gains.

“We have gained headway sa Abu Sayyaf. If you notice in Basilan, bumababa yung mga dating mga nagsusuporta o miyembro ng Abu Sayyaf,” he said. “Dito naman sa Sulu, makita natin yung sunod-sunod naalis natin ang kidnappings. Since last year, wala namang kidnapping incident na nangyari diyan.”

[If you notice in Basilan, the number of supporters or members of the Abu Sayyaf have gone down. On the other hand, in Sulu, we have seen continuous elimination of kidnappings. Since last year, there have been no kidnapping incident there.]

According to Madrigal, the government has adopted a national action plan for preventing and countering violent extremism, as solving the problem on terrorism required more than just a military approach.

The AFP chief will step down on Sept. 24, as he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Sept. 28.

He said his successor had already been chosen by the President, but he refused to name who it would be: “We will allow the right authorities to announce it.”

/atm