Lorenzana confident next DND chief will continue agency’s momentum

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Friday welcomed the appointment of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Jose Faustino Jr. as his successor.

“I am confident that with his years of dedicated service as a military officer, Gen. Faustino will continue the Department’s momentum in our internal security and external defense operations, as well as the modernization of the armed forces and the entire defense organization,” Lorenzana said in a statement.

Lorenzana also said he looks forward to working with Faustino and his team in the transition period leading up to June 30.

Faustino, who had served as AFP chief during President Rodrigo Duterte’s term, was designated by President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as senior undersecretary and officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense.

He will then assume his post as Defense Secretary on November 13, 2022, under the one-year ban on the appointment of retired military officers under Republic Act 6975, according to designated press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

Faustino retired as AFP chief on November 12, 2021.

READ: AFP chief Faustino starts farewell tour

“General Faustino will hit the ground running, so to speak, having just left the AFP in November,” Lorenzana said.

/MUF

/abc