Armed Forces chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. (Martin Sadongdong/MANILA BULLETIN)
A list containing the names of five military generals was submitted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to President Marcos Jr. where he could pick the next Commanding General of the Philippine Army (PA).
This was revealed by no less than AFP Chief, General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Wednesday, July 30, ahead of the retirement of Army chief Lt. Gen. Roy Galido.
“Mayroon na po pero hindi pa namin alam so far ([The President] has already chosen but we don’t know yet who that is so far),” Brawner told the MANILA BULLETIN on the sidelines of the second day of the post-SONA discussions in San Juan City on Wednesday, July 30.
“But iyon pong sinubmit naming na mga pangalan ay lahat sila very qualified. Anyone of them could be the next commanding general of the Philippine Army. Limang pangalan (But in the names of the officers that we submitted, all of them are very qualified. Anyone of them could be the next commanding general of the Philippine Army. There are five names),” added Brawner, who also served as the Army chief prioir to becoming the AFP chief.
Brawner said he is looking forward to work with the next Army chief.
“I am looking forward to work closely with the next CGPA. Importante po na talagang maganda ang working relationship namin dahil ang Army ay ang pinakamalaking pwersa ng Armed Forces natin (It is importante that my working relationship with the Army is good because it is the biggest force provider of our Armed Forces),” the military chief said.
Galido will retire from the service on Thursday, July 31. A change of command ceremony will take place at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.
Galido took the helm of the Philippine Army in August 2023 as its 66th commanding general.
He is also the first CGPA to serve for two years under the provisions of the Republic Act (RA) No. 11939 otherwise known as the "Act Further Strengthening Professionalism nd Promoting the Continuity of Policies and Modernization Initiatives in the Armed Forces of the Philippines", which amended RA 11709.
Under his leadership, the Army bolstered its pivot to external defense operations, prioritized soldier welfare, and recalibrated its strategic direction.