Newly appointed National Security Adviser (NSA) Eduardo Ano’s wealth of experience as a former military chief will help him lead the National Security Council (NSC).
This was stressed by the Philippine Army (PA) as it welcomed the appointment of Ano as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s top security adviser.
“Sec. Ano, a Marawi War veteran, previously proved his mettle as former AFP and Philippine Army chief. He also led the Department of the Interior and Local Government where he played a key role in the government’s pandemic response,” Col. Xerxes Trinidad, Army spokesperson, said on Sunday, Jan. 15.
“His breadth and depth of leadership and administrative experience will surely bolster the National Security Council – the government body that advises the President and Commander-in-Chief on issues related to the country’s national security,” he added.
Ano became the Army commanding general in 2015 where he prioritized its modernization program while pushing the military’s counter-insurgency campaign as a seasoned intelligence officer.
He was the AFP Chief of Staff when Maute and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorists attempted to take over the Islamic City of Marawi in May 2017. As the AFP chief, Ano supervised the five-month long military operation that freed Marawi City from the clutches of terrorism.
Shortly after his retirement from the military service in October 2017, he was appointed as the DILG officer in charge in January 2018 and as its secretary 10 months later.
Ano’s term as the Interior secretary faced an enormous challenge when he was tasked to oversee the local government units’ (LGUs) response capabilities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was also appointed as the vice chairman of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 where he was among the primary enforcers of all pandemic-related policies formulated by the Duterte administration.