President Duterte has designated Lt. Gen. Jose C. Faustino Jr. as the new commanding general of the 100,000-strong Philippine Army.
But Faustino's stint in the Army is in acting capacity since he has only less than a year before his scheduled mandatory retirement at the age of 56. He was the commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command before he was named in the new post.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Faustino replaced Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana who assumed the post of chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines on February 4.
Sobejana said Faustino will do well as the Army chief due to his expertise based on his previous assignments.
Faustino served as the head of the military intelligence unit in Davao region before he was named as the commander of the 10th Infantry Division. He was also assigned in Sulu a battalion commander and a brigade commander.
“As far as the experience is concerned he has a high level of expertise in peace and security efforts,” said Sobejana.
The military is yet to name Faustino’s replacement as the EastMinCom commander.