DND supports appointment of Brawner as AFP Chief
Published Jul 21, 2023 03:28 am
The Department of National Defense (DND) expressed support to the decision of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to appoint incumbent Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. as the next Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff.
Brawner is set to replace outgoing AFP Chief General Andres Centino in a joint Change of Command and Retirement Ceremony in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, July 21.
“The President's choice really was that there should be already succession in the Armed Forces and in the interest of an orderly transition, his choice for Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner, was designated as the incoming Chief of Staff which was supported by the whole defense establishment,” DND Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said.
Centino is set to be appointed as the Presidential Adviser on the West Philippine Sea, although it remains to be clear if there will be a reorganization at the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), a task force created by the previous Duterte administration to handle all the issues pertaining to the WPS conflict.
“To underscore the importance of the West Philippine Sea and the dynamic of the events which occur there on a daily basis, the President decided to have a presidential adviser with cabinet stature,” Teodoro explained.
Relatedly, the AFP also welcomed Brawner as the incoming chief of the 145,000-strong organization.
Col. Medel Aguilar, AFP spokesperson, said Brawner “has proven his sterling leadership and excellent performance of assigned tasks in the field of AFP operations, modernization and transformation.”
Brawner, 55, is expected to serve for a maximum tenure of three years under the new AFP term law or Republic Act No. 11939.
Focus on WPS
In an interview with reporters, Centino said there is a need to bring focus on the WPS conflict that’s why Marcos decided to have an appointee for the said matter. “We have actually mechanisms as to how these issues should be addressed. We have the National Task Force for West Philippine Sea. But our leadership has deemed it important to bring focus and importance on the way we address the issues there in a bigger scale. That’s why they thought of creating an office of the presidential adviser,” Centino stated. There were numerous reports about Chinese activities in the WPS including swarming of vessels, and harassment of Filipino soldiers, sailors, and fishermen. Centino said he was directed by Marcos to address the geopolitical issues in the disputed waters “more appropriately”. “There were reports of incursions in the past months that perhaps, if addressed properly, could have been avoided,” he noted. These reports of Chinese activities are a cause for concern for the Philippine government, Centino admitted. “Of course, it is a concern that would have an impact on us if not addressed or if not attended to,” he said. The Chinese government, through its embassy in Manila, has yet to respond to this although it previously stated that all the activities being done by its vessels in the areas it claims in the South China Sea are lawful under their laws.