Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff Gen. Eduardo Año will retire on June 2 to pave the way for his transfer to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said during the closing ceremonies of the annual “Balikatan” Friday.
This is almost five months earlier than the October 2017 scheduled retirement of Año, who is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983.
Lorenzana said he tried to persuade President Rodrigo Duterte to permit the AFP chief to complete or extend his term before assuming the DILG portfolio but the Chief Executive declined his request. Lorenzana said Duterte wants General Año at DILG early June.
“I was trying to persuade the President to extend his ( Año) service with AFP, the last time was last night (Thursday) when I said, ‘Mr. President, can we extend the stay of Gen. Año with the AFP?’ but he said ‘no, no, no, no’,” the DND chief added.
“(Duterte said) let’s have the turn-over by June 2 so that’s final,” he added.
Meanwhile, United States Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim congratulated the AFP chief on his recent nomination to head the DILG.
Kim said being a critically important cabinet post, “We will of course miss his tremendous leadership of the AFP.”
“But I think it speaks volumes that President Duterte has nominated someone of his caliber to head this very important department,” the US Ambassador said.
“We appreciate all your work for AFP and we look forward to working with you in your new posting Gen. Año ,” he added.
LATEST STORIES
Indian think tank to Manila: Beware of Beijing-funded projects
NEW DELHI — The Philippines could end up in hock to China if it is not careful about entering into investment and infrastructure deals with Beijing, according to an Indian think tank. Hardeep Puri, … [Read More...]
PAF to get US ScanEagle UAVs Tuesday
With the first batch of intended crew already completing their training in Boing Insitu's facility in Bingen, Washington, and arriving in the Philippines, the Philippine Air Force will now formally … [Read More...]
French frigate in Manila for 4-day visit
MANILA -- The FNS Vendemiare (F-734), a Floréal-class light surveillance frigate of the French Marine Nationale, arrived in Manila South Harbor for a four-day goodwill visit to the country which … [Read More...]
Air Force looking for Sikorsky S-76A heli parts worth P9.5-M
MANILA -- The Philippine Air Force (PAF) is setting aside PHP9.5 million for the acquisition of spare parts and services needed for the maintenance of one of its Sikorsky S-76A search-and-rescue … [Read More...]
Roque explains remarks vs China in 2015
MANILA – Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. has confirmed Rappler’s report that he called China an "aggressor state" when he delivered a lecture at Harvard University in the US in … [Read More...]
The customs agencies of the Philippines and China agree on data exchange
The customs agencies of the Philippines and China agreed to set up a data exchange system to facilitate the timely sharing of trade information and aid the two nations in their respective campaigns … [Read More...]