President Duterte has named Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana as the next chief-of-staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Malacañang confirmed.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque, in a statement, expressed confidence that Sobejana will be able to do a good job in leading the country's armed forces.
"We are confident that General Sobejana will continue to modernize our military and undertake reform initiatives to make the Armed Forces truly professional in its mandate as the protector of the people and the State," he said.
"We wish General Sobejana all the best in his new tour of duty as we pray for his success," he added.
Sobejana took the helm of the Philippine Army as its 62nd Commanding General on July 30, 2020.
The Philippine Army website described him as one of the country's "living heroes" due to his "heroic combat exploits". He is a recipient of the country’s highest military award, the Medal for Valor, an award equivalent to the Congressional Medal of Honor of the United States of America.
He started his military career when he entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1983 and graduated in 1987.