Army commander is new AFP chief

The general who held back the rioting followers of deposed President Joseph Estrada in May last year will be the next Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief.

President Arroyo named yesterday Lt. Gen. Dionisio Santiago, currently the Army commanding general, to succeed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Benjamin Defensor when he retires on Nov. 18.

"Given the criteria for chief of staff, Santiago complies with all those criteria," Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said, adding that the President has full confidence in him and that he has proven his loyalty to the Constitution.

Santiago, for his part, said he was humbled by his being chosen by the President.

"Lahat kaming mga candidates are good and all are qualified. But in each game, there is always that break and I only had the right timing," he said in a radio interview.

Santiago thanked Mrs. Arroyo for "the trust and confidence she has given me by appointing me as the new Armed Forces chief. I would be an abnormal (person) if I would not say I’m happy."

Santiago said his main priority as Armed Forces chief would be the peace and order drive and the security threat groups in the Mindanao. "The usual operations (to neutralize the threat groups) will be intensified," he said.

The AFP’s modernization program will also be looked into, he said.

According to Tiglao, the President made the formal announcement during the joint command conference on operations against communist insurgents, attended by the top officials of the AFP and the Philippine National Police at Malacañang.

Mrs. Arroyo based her decision on a transmittal by Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes of the "short list" of candidates for AFP chief, which was submitted by the Board of Generals. The list also included AFP vice chief Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling, Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya, Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Nestor Santillan and Navy chief Vice Admiral Victorino Hingco.

Defensor took over the top post AFP last Sept. 10 when Gen. Roy Cimatu retired.

Santiago, a member of Class 1970 of the Philippine Military Academy, is scheduled to retire on his 56th birthday in April next year. It was not immediately known if Mrs. Arroyo will extend his term.

He bested six other three-star generals vying to succeed Defensor due to his having led the anti-coup Task Force Libra, which quelled the violent riot by thousands of Estrada’s supporters when they marched on the Palace on May 1, 2001 in an effort to depose Arroyo.

Before heading Task Force Libra, Santiago was the head of the Armed Forces’ Special Operations Command in Nueva Ecija.

After the attempted siege, Mrs. Arroyo immediately rewarded Santiago, who was at that time a two-star general, by naming him as Army chief. She fondly calls him "Chuck Connors," citing his facial resemblance to the Hollywood character actor who starred in Westerns.

Santiago came under fire from some quarters in the military when he ordered the procurement, using Army funds, of several Toyota Altis cars, which he distributed to his support staff at Fort Bonifacio.

The President did not say who would replace Santiago as head of the Army, the chief service arm in the government’s battle against the 9,000-member communist insurgent movement and the estimated 12,000-strong Muslim separatist guerillas.

Tiglao could not yet say if the President will give Defensor a possible ambassadorial post after his retirement.

"So far, there probably are but it hasn’t been discussed yet with Defensor," he said.

Tiglao said the President’s decision to announce her choice of the new AFP chief this early is no way her reaction to stamp out rumors of another coup going around military camps.

"Not at all. Nov. 18 is fast approaching and we would want a clear, smooth transition of the post of chief of staff," he said.

Tiglao noted that it was Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to announce the name of the new AFP chief yesterday. "The decision was finalized yesterday and she thought that rather than leaving this thing in a cloud of speculations, it would be better, appropriate for her to announce it," he said.

Observers have warned that the brief terms of the military chiefs of staff have hampered the development of the Philippine armed forces.

The President, however, said she will continue with her "revolving door" policy of allowing retirable generals to be AFP chief despite serving only for a few months, as in the case of Cimatu and Defensor.

She defended her policy by saying this will not compromise the chances of much younger generals like Abaya, since they have many more years of military service ahead of them compared to the retirable generals.

Abaya was named Southcom chief after his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Nestor Carolina, was given the post of AFP deputy chief of staff. — With AFP report