New Army chief known today

MANILA, Philippines - The 80,000-strong Philippine Army (PA) will have a new commander with the scheduled retirement tomorrow of Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz.

Ortiz, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1979, was originally scheduled to bow out of the service on Nov. 13 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56, but opted to retire three days earlier.

While his replacement is yet to be known, Camp Aguinaldo insiders said Capiz-based 3rd Infantry Division commander Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista is reportedly leading the pack of contenders to replace him.

Aside from Bautista, other key contenders to the top Army post are AFP deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara and Northern Luzon Command chief, Lt. Gen. Jesse Dellosa.

Bautista is a member of the PMA Class of 1981 while Alcantara and Dellosa both belong to PMA Class of 1979.

Aside from the top Army post, both Dellosa and Alcantara have been reported to be among the candidates for next Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief when Gen. Eduardo Oban retires next month.

Bautista, however, would neither confirm nor deny persistent talks that President Aquino had chosen him to lead the Army.

The next Army chief would be known either today or tomorrow.

Because of previous experiences, it has become common practice among promoted senior military officers to wait for their official assumption of any assignment or office before making known their new designation.

“The rule of the game for us now is: Don’t assume until you have assumed,” one military officer said recalling the bad experience of now retired Gen. Samuel Bagasin and Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali.

Bagasin was then all set to assume as commander of the Zamboanga City-based Southern Command -- now divided into two area commands; the Western Mindanao Command and Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) — when his assumption order was terminated hours before he could take his oath of office.

In the case of Detabali, after being named Army chief, his order was also revoked at the very last minute when the so-called “militics” (military politics) came into play.

However, military sources said that under the new leadership, they are certain that the President, being the commander-in-chief, is not about to be swayed by any group of lobbyists out to influence his decision.

The son of the late Army Gen. Teodolfo Bautista, who was killed by Muslim rebels in a treacherous attack in Jolo during the 1970s Moro uprising, the young Bautista, after graduating from the PMA has been assigned to various field positions -- platoon, company and battalion and brigade commander.

His latest assignment prior to assuming as commander of the 3rd Infantry Division was as AFP deputy chief of staff for operations, a key AFP unit that assisted in the formulation of plans and policies on all matters pertaining to operations and organization and the Internal Peace and Security Plan.

Before this, Bautista, who also served as the AFP internal auditor, was the senior military assistant to then defense chief Avelino Cruz Jr.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda refused to confirm a report stating that Aquino had chosen Bautista to replace Ortiz.

“Insofar as we are concerned, we are still waiting for the official confirmation from the President,” Lacierda said in a phone interview with reporters.

Bautista is only 53 and a report said his appointment would bypass more senior officers in the military.

Lacierda said the President would likely announce the new Army chief before leaving for Hawaii on Friday to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit. – With Aurea Calica