Major changes in AFP leadership starts with retirement of Catacutan

MANILA, Philippines - Major changes in the military leadership started yesterday with the retirement of Vice Admiral Mario Catacutan as Inspector General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Catacutan, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1977, relinquished his post to Navy Capt. Crispin Mercado who will assume command of the Office of the Inspector General in acting capacity in a turnover presided by Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. held at the AFP parade ground.

Catacutan’s official replacement is yet to be announced by Oban, who is also retiring three months from now.

Also bowing out of the service in two months is Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz.

This early, a number of senior officers, among them newly assigned Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) chief Maj. Gen. Jesse Dellosa and the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, are now eyeing the top AFP and Army posts.

Military insiders said that Catacutan’s retirement yesterday signals the first wave of revamp in the AFP command core, and the second will come in November and December when Ortiz and Oban retire.

While his permanent replacement has yet to be known, they said that the position left by Catacutan is a three-star position.

Catacutan’s retirement left only two remaining members of his class – Maj. Gen. Nestor Sadiarin, AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications, and Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) – in the active service.

Formerly assigned as AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel (J1), Catacutan also served as AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (J4), a post he later relinquished to his mistah (classmate), now retired Vice Admiral Teddy Pan.

Catacutan was pulled out from his post as Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel and was reassigned as AFP Inspector General (IG) and tasked to investigate Pan and other officers in the AFP Logistics Office for alleged financial and fuel anomalies.

Relieved of his post, Pan was subsequently cleared and allowed to retire from the service.

“Vice Admiral Catacutan has retired after loyally serving the country and the AFP for 38 years, five months and three days. After his retirement, Capt. Crispin Mercado, the Deputy Inspector General, will temporarily assume as the Inspector General,” AFP Public Information Office chief Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. said.