AFP to honor outgoing Air Force chief

MANILA, Philippines - Outgoing Philippine Air Force (PAF) chief Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena will be accorded military honors on Monday, a day before he retires from service.

A member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1978, Rabena is bowing out of military service ahead of his 56th birthday in August, the mandatory retirement age, in line with the military’s attrition rule.

The rule requires that a senior military be promoted to the next higher rank or reassigned to a higher position within three years or face mandatory separation from the service. Rabena was named PAF chief in January 2009 but was not designated as chief of the staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. His successor has yet to be announced.