P-Noy to keep Rabena as Air Force chief

MANILA, Philippines -  Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena will stay on as Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief after President Aquino yesterday announced that there will be no further movements in the reshuffle of military leadership.

The President made the statement before a news conference a day after installing Maj. Gen. Arturo Ortiz as the new Army chief.

Rabena, for his part, said he was honored by the President’s announcement and he would lead the Air Force in consonance with the commander-in-chief’s plans and policies.

PAF spokesman Lt. Col. Miguel Ernesto Okol said Rabena would continue programs and policies in the Air Force as a responsive partner to peace and development initiatives of the government.

Mr. Aquino, on the other hand, has approved the designation of former Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu as Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a position left vacant by Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa who opted for early retirement.

It was also reported that a number of senior officers who were among those mentioned in the Hello, Garci wiretap scandal in 2004 were also given new assignments.

Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta said the senior officers who were given new positions were challenged to prove their mettle, adding the allegations against the officers were lacking in substance and they were given the opportunity to clear their names.

These officers are performers. And it will be an opportunity for them to clear their names, he said.

Among those mentioned were Col. Aminkadra Undog, former commander of Military Intelligence Group-9 based in Zamboanga City.