President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has named Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente O. Bacarro as the new chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles announced Bacarro's designation on Monday, Aug. 1.
He is currently the commander of the AFP – Southern Luzon Command (SOLCOM).
“The change of command for the new AFP chief of staff will be on August 8. This will give time for Gen. Bacarro to wind down at the SOLCOM and provide him with the transition to his new position in Camp Aguinaldo,” Angeles said.
She added that Bacarro will be the first AFP chief to be given a fixed three-year term based on the Republic Act 11709.
The law, which was signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte on April 13 this year, "sets a fixed three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, the major service commanders (Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy), unified command commanders, and inspector general "unless sooner terminated by the President."
A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Bacarro was born on Sept. 18, 1966 in San Fernando, La Union. He graduated in the upper quartile of PMA “Maringal” Class of 1988.
Shortly after graduation, Bacarro was assigned with the 5th Infantry Division in Isabela province at the height of the counter-insurgency campaign in the Cagayan Valley from June 1988 until 1995.
For seven years, he held various positions in the 5th ID including platoon leader, company commander, administrative officer, intelligence officer, operations officer, civil-military operations office, and secretary to the general staff.
It was during his assignment in Isabela province that he earned his Medal of Valor, the highest award for combat in the AFP. Bacarro was then an Army Lieutenant and serving as commanding officer of the 6th CAA Company, 21st Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Division.
The Medal of Valor was awarded to Bacarro on Dec. 21, 1991 for his “conspicuous acts of courage, gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” during a 10-hour encounter with 150 fully-armed New People’s Army (NPA) rebels who attacked the town of Maconacon, Isabela on Feb. 26, 1991.
In November 2004, he was designated Army spokesperson and chief of the public affairs office in Fort Bonifacio. Later on, he became spokesperson of the AFP and chief of the Public Affairs Office in Camp Aguinaldo.
In 2014, Bacarro was designated as the chief of staff of the Army’s 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division. He was also chief of staff for operations (OG3); commander of the 502nd Brigade, 5thID, PA and commandant of the PMA prior to his assumption as AFP internal auditor.
Bacarro has undergone several specialized military training, both local and foreign such as the Special Operations Team Training; Paratroopers Course; Basic and Advance Infantry Officers Course in the AFP.
His foreign military schooling included the Combined Strategic Intelligence Training Program in Washington DC; Peace-keeping Operations Course in Canada; Public Affairs Orientation Course in Hawaii and the US Army General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, USA.