PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte named Lt. Gen. Jose Faustino as the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Malacañang confirmed on Friday.
Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte approved and signed the designation of Faustino as new AFP chief effective July 31, 2021.
“We are confident that Gen. Faustino will continue the peace and development efforts of his predecessors while aggressively building up our defense capability,” Roque said in a statement.
“We pray for Gen. Faustino’s success as he embarks in his new role as AFP Chief,” he added.
Faustino will replace Cirilito Sobejana, who is set to retire on July 31.
He, however, will only serve for three months, as he is also set to retire by November this year.
Faustino is the incumbent commander of the Joint Task Force for peace and security in Mindanao.
