At least 10 generals of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are slugging it out to be the next chief of staff with the impending retirement of Gen. Felimon Santos Jr. next month.
(MANILA BULLETIN)
Major Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said Sunday that the Board of Generals has convened and deliberated on the recommendees to the position of AFP chief and chairman of the Joint Chiefs which are currently occupied by Santos.
"There were about 10 names contained in the list that includes major service commanders, unified command chiefs, and other three-star generals at the GHQ (General Headquarters)," Arevalo said.
The recommendation has been submitted to Malacanang through the Department of National Defense (DND) in the first week of July, according to the AFP spokesperson.
From there, President Duterte will appoint who will succeed Santos.
Santos is set to compulsorily retire on Aug. 4, or a day after his 56th birth anniversary which is the mandatory retirement age for military personnel.
Ahead of his retirement, Santos has been doing field unit visits "to further boost the morale of the operating troops," Arevalo said.
Santos is the 53rd CSAFP and the seventh under Duterte's administration since 2016.
He assumed office on Jan. 4, 2020 and has been serving as the top military official for 190 days so far.