Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer (except for the President of the Philippines, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief equivalent to a five-star general) and the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including all service branches (Army, Air Force, Navy–Marine Corps) under its command. The position is usually held by a four-star rank of General or Admiral. Its direct equivalent in the US Armed Forces is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Unlike its US counterpart, which is merely supervisory, the Chief of Staff has complete operational control within the military hierarchy and is responsible for the overall operations of the AFP.
Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines | |
---|---|
Reports to | Secretary of National Defense President of the Philippines |
Residence | Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City, Philippines |
Seat | Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, Quezon City |
Appointer | The President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments |
Term length | 3 years[1] can be extended with the approval of Congress |
Constituting instrument | Republic Act No. 11939 [1] |
Formation | December 21, 1935 |
First holder | Jose de los Reyes |
Unofficial names | Chairman of the Joint Chiefs |
Deputy | Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (assistant) The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (administrative and organizational duties) |
Website | Philippine Armed Forces |
The holder of this position is appointed by, as well as directly reports to the President of the Philippines under the Article VII, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution.[2] He executes the President's commands, tactics, operations, plannings, and strategies, as well as serves as the Immediate Adviser to the Secretary of National Defense. He also prescribes directions to all commands (including the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, the Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, the Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy, the Commanders of the AFP Unified Commands, and the AFP Board of Generals).
The Armed Forces of the Philippines were created as a result of the Commonwealth Act No. 1, also known as the National Defense Act of 1935. However, the origin of the organization can be traced back to the establishment of the Philippine Constabulary, armed Filipino forces organized in 1901 by the United States to combat the Philippine Revolutionary Army then led by General Emilio Aguinaldo.
History
editThe position of the Chief of Staff has been traced from the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, when the Philippine Commonwealth Army (now the Philippine Army) was established as the main army of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. After the defeat of the First Philippine Republic during the Philippine–American War, the United States dissolved the army and relied on its armed forces together with some Filipino troops under the Philippine Constabulary. However, the National Defense Act of 1935 led to take on responsibilities on national defense and pave way for the creation of three major commands (Army, Air Force, Navy). Since the 1960s, the rosters of the Chiefs of Staff is arranged accordingly.[3]
On June 19, 2020, under the DND Order no. 174, the title of Chief of Staff was renamed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, while the Vice-Chief of Staff as vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and The Deputy Chief of Staff as Chief of the Joint Staff.[4] Although the usage of these titles were deferred.[5][citation needed]
Organization and term limit
editThe AFP Chief of Staff is assisted by the Vice-Chief of Staff of the AFP (VCSAFP) and The Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP (TDCSAFP), both holders of the rank of Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral. The Vice-Chief of Staff serves as the primary assistant of the AFP Chief of Staff in their operational duties, as well as in policy conceptualization and implementation matters in the AFP, and also assists the AFP Chief of Staff in their absence. The Deputy Chief of Staff (TDCS) is tasked to supervise the organizational staff, including the Joint Staff, the Special Staff, the Administrative and the Technical Staff. The Deputy Chief of Staff is also responsible for assisting the AFP's overall policy and strategy formations, and perform other duties assigned by the AFP Chief of Staff. These posts are also assisted by the Secretary Joint Staff (SJS), who serves as the executive officer for the AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice-Chief of Staff, and The Deputy Chief of Staff.[6] The AFP Chief of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Sergeant Major (AFPSM).
The AFP Chief of Staff has no definite or fixed term limit, under Republic Act No. 8186,[7][8] as the term limit of the AFP Chief of Staff, along with all uniformed members of the AFP, has a mandatory retirement age at 56 years old. Nevertheless, the AFP Chief of Staff's term can be extended and allows a flexible term while serving beyond the mandatory retirement age, as the AFP Chief of Staff can serve their post until 3 years. Plans to reform the current system were made in 2011, but was vetoed by then-President Benigno Aquino III. An updated bill is currently being crafted since 2020, which aims to create a fixed term of 3 years for the AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice-Chief of Staff, The Deputy Chief of Staff, the commanders of the three major services (Army, Navy, Air Force), the commanders of the unified commands (NOLCOM, SOLCOM, WESCOM, CENTCOM, WESTMINCOM, EASTMINCOM), the commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, the commander of the AFP Special Operations Command, and the commander of the upcoming Cyber Security Command; while the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) will have a 4-year term in their post, and will not be allowed to be reappointed in other higher posts. The bill also allows the president to remove the sitting AFP chief of staff at his/her pleasure within their 3-year term. Once passed and enacted into law, the new law aims to increase the flexibility, organizational professionalism and effectiveness in their respective roles.[9][10] On May 16, 2022, former President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act No. 11709, which serves as the new law that enables a three-year fixed term for key officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including the Chief of Staff of the AFP.[11]
Months after the signing of the new term law, reports were being made on the possible rumbling in the AFP Hierarchy due to the complications caused by the Republic Act No. 11709 from the promotions of younger officers and to the reduction of promoted officers within the senior officers rank (Major-Colonel/Lieutenant Commander-Captain) due to the reduced tenure limits, which caused anxiety regarding the lowering of a merit-based promotion system.[12] The issue also got more friction from an editorial article written by former AFP spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo PN(M) (Ret.) in The Manila Times named "The fates of two AFP chiefs of staff", which tackles about the appointment of Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro as AFP Chief, who is retiring earlier than his predecessor General Andres Centino, which makes Centino's position more higher than Bacarro's. [13][14][15] Due to these problems, a revised law was crafted to solve the problems, which led to the ratification of Republic Act no. 11939, which was signed by President Bongbong Marcos on May 17, 2023. [1] Under the new law, the reduced number of officials who will have a fixed term to only five, namely the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (three-year tenure); the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, the Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, the Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy (two-year tenure) and the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (four-year tenure).[1] The law also allows their fixed terms to be completely terminated upon the President's pleasure. Amidst the swirling rumors on the potential replacement of the AFP chief regarding the seniority problem, the issues within the top brass was resolved on January 7, 2023, as General Andres Centino was reappointed as the AFP Chief replacing Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro.[16]
Officeholders
editNo. | Portrait | Chief of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Service branch | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- | Jose Delos Reyes (1874–1945) Acting | Brigadier GeneralJanuary 11, 1936 | May 4, 1936 | 114 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
1 | Paulino Santos (1890–1945) | Major GeneralMay 4, 1936 | December 31, 1938 | 2 years, 241 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
2 | Basilio Valdes (1912–1970) | Major GeneralJanuary 1, 1939 | November 7, 1945 | 6 years, 310 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
3 | Rafael Jalandoni (1894–1949) | Major GeneralDecember 21, 1945 | December 20, 1948 | 2 years, 365 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
4 | Mariano Castañeda (1905–1970) | Major GeneralDecember 21, 1948 | May 28, 1951 | 2 years, 158 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
5 | Calixto Duque (1893–1972) | Major GeneralJune 2, 1951 | December 30, 1953 | 2 years, 211 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
6 | Jesus Vargas (1905–1994) | Lieutenant GeneralDecember 30, 1953 | December 29, 1956 | 2 years, 365 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
7 | Alfonso Arellano (1905–1957) | Lieutenant GeneralDecember 29, 1956 | December 31, 1958 | 2 years, 2 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
8 | Manuel Cabal | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1, 1959 | December 30, 1961 | 2 years, 363 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
9 | Pelagio Cruz (1912–1986) | Lieutenant GeneralDecember 31, 1961 | August 31, 1962 | 243 days | Philippine Air Force | [17] | |
10 | Alfredo Santos (1905–1990) [a] | GeneralSeptember 1, 1962 | July 12, 1965 | 2 years, 314 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
11 | Rigoberto Atienza (1911–1966) | GeneralJuly 13, 1965 | January 22, 1966 | 193 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
12 | Ernesto Mata (1915–2012) [b] | GeneralJanuary 22, 1966 | January 21, 1967 | 364 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
13 | Victor Osias | GeneralJanuary 21, 1967 | August 15, 1967 | 206 days | Philippine Air Force | [17] | |
14 | Segundo Velasco (born 1918) | GeneralAugust 16, 1967 | May 27, 1968 | 285 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
15 | Manuel T. Yan (1920–2008) [c] | GeneralMay 28, 1968 | January 15, 1972 | 3 years, 232 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
16 | Romeo Espino (1914–2003) [d] | GeneralJanuary 15, 1972 | August 15, 1981 | 9 years, 212 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
17 | Fabian Ver (1920–1998) [e] | GeneralAugust 15, 1981 | October 24, 1984 | 3 years, 70 days 85 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
- | Fidel Ramos (1928–2022) Acting [f] | Lieutenant GeneralOctober 24, 1984 | December 2, 1985 | 1 year, 39 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
(17) | Fabian Ver (1920–1998) [g] | GeneralDecember 2, 1985 | February 25, 1986 | 85 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
18 | Fidel Ramos (1928–2022) [h] | GeneralFebruary 25, 1986 | January 25, 1988 | 1 year, 334 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
19 | Renato de Villa (1935–2006) [i] | GeneralJanuary 25, 1988 | January 23, 1991 | 2 years, 363 days | Philippine Constabulary | [17] | |
20 | Rodolfo Biazon (1935–2023) [j] | GeneralJanuary 24, 1991 | April 12, 1991 | 78 days | Philippine Marine Corps | [17] | |
21 | Lisandro Abadia (1938–2022) | GeneralApril 12, 1991 | April 12, 1994 | 3 years, 0 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
22 | Arturo Enrile (1940–1998) [k] | GeneralApril 12, 1994 | November 28, 1996 | 2 years, 230 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
23 | Arnulfo Acedera Jr. (1941–2020) | GeneralNovember 28, 1996 | December 31, 1997 | 1 year, 33 days | Philippine Air Force | [17] | |
24 | Clemente Mariano | GeneralJanuary 1, 1998 | July 1, 1998 | 181 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
25 | Joselin Nazareno [l] | GeneralJuly 1, 1998 | July 8, 1999 | 1 year, 7 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
26 | Angelo Reyes (1945–2011) [m] | GeneralJuly 8, 1999 | March 17, 2001 | 1 year, 252 days | Philippine Army | [17] | |
27 | Diomedio Villanueva (1945–2023) | GeneralMarch 17, 2001 | May 18, 2002 | 1 year, 62 days | Philippine Army | [18] | |
28 | Roy Cimatu (born 1946) [n] | GeneralMay 18, 2002 | September 10, 2002 | 115 days | Philippine Army | [19][20] | |
29 | Benjamin Defensor Jr. | GeneralSeptember 10, 2002 | November 28, 2002 | 79 days | Philippine Air Force | [21] | |
30 | Dionisio Santiago [o] | GeneralNovember 28, 2002 | April 8, 2003 | 131 days | Philippine Army | [22][23] | |
31 | Narciso Abaya (born 1950) | GeneralApril 8, 2003 | October 29, 2004 | 1 year, 204 days | Philippine Army | [24] | |
32 | Efren Abu | GeneralOctober 29, 2004 | August 15, 2005 | 290 days | Philippine Army | [25][26] | |
33 | Generoso Senga | GeneralAugust 15, 2005 | July 22, 2006 | 341 days | Philippine Army | [27] | |
34 | Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (born 1952) [p] | GeneralJuly 22, 2006 | May 12, 2008 | 1 year, 295 days | Philippine Army | [28][29] | |
35 | Alexander Yano [q] | GeneralMay 12, 2008 | May 1, 2009 | 354 days | Philippine Army | [30] | |
36 | Victor Ibrado | GeneralMay 1, 2009 | March 10, 2010 | 313 days | Philippine Army | [31] | |
37 | Delfin Bangit (1955–2013) | GeneralMarch 10, 2010 | June 22, 2010 | 104 days | Philippine Army | [32] | |
– | Nestor Ochoa Acting | Lieutenant GeneralJune 22, 2010 | June 30, 2010 | 8 days | Philippine Army | [33] | |
38 | Ricardo David (born 1955) [r] | GeneralJuly 2, 2010 | March 7, 2011 | 248 days | Philippine Army | [34] | |
39 | Eduardo Oban Jr. (born 1955) | GeneralMarch 7, 2011 | December 12, 2011 | 280 days | Philippine Air Force | [35] | |
40 | Jessie Dellosa (born 1957) | GeneralDecember 12, 2011 | January 20, 2013 | 1 year, 39 days | Philippine Army | [36] | |
41 | Emmanuel Bautista (born 1958) | GeneralJanuary 20, 2013 | July 18, 2014 | 1 year, 179 days | Philippine Army | [37] | |
42 | Gregorio Pio Catapang (born 1959) [s] | GeneralJuly 18, 2014 | July 10, 2015 | 357 days | Philippine Army | [38] | |
43 | Hernando Iriberri (born 1960) | GeneralJuly 10, 2015 | April 22, 2016 | 287 days | Philippine Army | [39][40] | |
– | Glorioso Miranda (born 1961) Acting | Lieutenant GeneralApril 22, 2016 | June 30, 2016 | 69 days | Philippine Army | [41] | |
44 | Ricardo Visaya (born 1960) [t] | GeneralJuly 1, 2016 | December 7, 2016 | 159 days | Philippine Army | [43] | |
45 | Eduardo Año (born 1961) [u] | GeneralDecember 7, 2016 | October 26, 2017 | 323 days | Philippine Army | [40] | |
46 | Rey Leonardo Guerrero (born 1961) [v] | GeneralOctober 26, 2017 | April 18, 2018 | 174 days | Philippine Army | [44] | |
47 | Carlito Galvez Jr. (born 1962) [w] | GeneralApril 18, 2018 | December 11, 2018 | 237 days | Philippine Army | [45] | |
48 | Benjamin Madrigal Jr. (born 1963) [x] | GeneralDecember 11, 2018 | September 24, 2019 | 287 days | Philippine Army | [46] | |
49 | Noel Clement (born 1964) | GeneralSeptember 24, 2019 | January 4, 2020 | 102 days | Philippine Army | [47] | |
50 | Felimon Santos Jr. (born 1964) | GeneralJanuary 4, 2020 | August 3, 2020 | 212 days | Philippine Army | [48] | |
51 | Gilbert Gapay (born 1965) | GeneralAugust 3, 2020 | February 4, 2021 | 185 days | Philippine Army | [49] | |
52 | Cirilito Sobejana (born 1965) | GeneralFebruary 4, 2021 | July 31, 2021 | 177 days | Philippine Army | [50] | |
53 | Jose Faustino Jr. (born 1965) [y] | GeneralJuly 31, 2021 | November 12, 2021 | 104 days | Philippine Army | [51] | |
54 | Andres Centino (born 1967) | GeneralNovember 12, 2021 | August 8, 2022 | 269 days | Philippine Army | [52] | |
55 | Bartolome Vicente Bacarro (born 1966) | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 8, 2022 | January 6, 2023 | 151 days | Philippine Army | [53] | |
56 | Andres Centino (born 1967) | GeneralJanuary 6, 2023 | July 21, 2023 | 196 days | Philippine Army | [54] | |
57 | Romeo Brawner Jr. (born 1968) | GeneralJuly 21, 2023 | Incumbent | 329 days | Philippine Army | [55][56] |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ First officer to hold full General rank.
- ^ Recalled by President Marcos from retirement and appointed as Chief of Staff.
- ^ Yan served as the youngest chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the age of 48. Prior to that, he was the chief of the Philippine Constabulary. He currently holds the record for longest continuous government service from 1937– 2001 or 64 years of service.
- ^ Espino served as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army before appointed to become the top military man. Espino is the longest-serving Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for nine years, especially during the martial law regime. A second product of the ROTC. During his term, he was fair in administering the military, unlike his successor, General Fabian Ver.
- ^ Ver was considered a loyalist and the second most powerful man in the country next to President Ferdinand Marcos in the later years of his authoritarian regime, replacing then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who held the status since 1972 when Marcos named him as martial law administrator upon the imposition of martial law. Ver, in fact, was the most powerful military officer at that time for, aside from being the top military man, he was also the commander of the Presidential Security Command and the director-general of NISA, the Marcos regime's secret police. The third military officer appointed as chief of staff that came from ROTC. During his term, he was known for his favoritism especially in the promotion of officers & was linked to the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the biggest critique of the Marcos regime.
- ^ Ramos served in acting capacity while General Ver was temporary relieved due to ongoing investigation of Aquino's assassination.
- ^ Ver was considered a loyalist and the second most powerful man in the country next to President Ferdinand Marcos in the later years of his authoritarian regime, replacing then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who held the status since 1972 when Marcos named him as martial law administrator upon the imposition of martial law. Ver, in fact, was the most powerful military officer at that time for, aside from being the top military man, he was also the commander of the Presidential Security Command and the director-general of NISA, the Marcos regime's secret police. The third military officer appointed as chief of staff that came from ROTC. During his term, he was known for his favoritism especially in the promotion of officers & was linked to the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the biggest critique of the Marcos regime.
- ^ Ramos then, before becoming the chief of the now defunct Philippine Constabulary in 1972, he was the commander of Philippine Army's 3rd Division in Cebu. On the 1980s he was promoted into vice-chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant general but remained as PC chief. After the EDSA revolt that ousted Marcos his cousin from power, he became the AFP chief. Later after retiring as AFP chief of staff during the term of President Corazon C. Aquino, he served as Secretary of National Defense and was elected the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines in 1992 and served until 1998, the year which the country celebrated its centennial anniversary of the declaration of Independence, earning him the nickname of "Centennial President". He is the 2nd Army General who became the President of the Republic after Gen. Aguinaldo but he was the first & only career military officer to hold a rank of five-star general/admiral de jure rising from second lieutenant up to commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
- ^ Prior to becoming chief of staff, in 1986, de Villa was named to be the chief of the Philippine Constabulary (now defunct), then an AFP major service acting as the country's police force while he was also named to be AFP vice-chief of staff with the rank of three-star general. Upon retirement, de Villa served as Secretary of National Defense when he retired in 1991 and ran for president but lost to Joseph Estrada and Executive Secretary under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
- ^ Biazon served in the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives after his retirement as AFP chief of staff in 1991. He is the first and only Chief of Staff from the PMC. Prior to that, he served as the commander of the AFP NCR Defense Command in 1988 and Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps in 1987. He had also served as the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy in 1986.
- ^ Enrile later served as Secretary of the DOTC under President Fidel Ramos.
- ^ Later served as Ambassador to Pakistan.
- ^ Reyes laterserved as Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of DILG, Secretary of DENR, and Secretary of DOE under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
- ^ Cimatu later served as Special Envoy to the Middle East. Cimatu served as the Secretary of the DENR under President Rodrigo Duterte.
- ^ Later served as the director-general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
- ^ Esperon later served as Presidential Adviser on Peace Process under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo & later served as National Security Adviser under President Rodrigo Duterte.
- ^ Yano later served as our country's Ambassador to Brunei.
- ^ David later served as Bureau of Immigration Commissioner under President Benigno Aquino III.
- ^ Later served as Bases Conversion Development Agency Board Member and as Officer-In-Charge Director-general of the Bureau of Corrections under President Bongbong Marcos.
- ^ Later served as the Administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) under President Rodrigo Duterte.[42]
- ^ Later served as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under President Rodrigo Duterte.
- ^ Later served as the Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and later as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs under President Rodrigo Duterte
- ^ Later served as the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process & later as the Vaccine Czar during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
- ^ Madrigal later served as a member of the governing board of the Philippine Coconut Authority.
- ^ later served as the Officer-In-Charge Secretary of the Department of National Defense under President Bongbong Marcos
References
editExternal links
edit- "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022.
- Reveille: AFP chiefs of staff through the years, Ramon J. Farolan, Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 10, 2010