- GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The guessing game starts as to who will be named by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the next commanding general of the Philippine Army.
Lt. Gen. Benedict Arevalo, commander of the AFP Visayas Command (VisCom), is reportedly among the candidates for the position to be vacated by Army chief, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., who was designated the incoming chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“Let’s wait,” Arevalo said, when asked about his chances to be the next commanding general of the Philippine Army.
Arevalo belongs to Philippine Military Academy Class of 1990.
Brawner will be installed today, July 21, by Marcos Jr. as the new AFP chief of staff, in a change of command ceremony to be held at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Brawner will replace Gen. Andres Centino, who has been designated by the President as the Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea.
Centino already reached the mandatory retirement on Feb. 4 this year, but qualified for another three-year term, following the signing of Republic Act 11709, which strengthens professionalism and promotes the continuity of policies and modernization initiatives in the AFP, and increases from 56 years old the mandatory retirement age of generals and flag officers. It was signed by then president Rodrigo Duterte and took effect July 1, 2022./GB
