President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Antonio G. Nafarrete as the next Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), ushering in new military leadership as General Romeo S. Brawner Jr. retired and completed his three-year fixed term on Tuesday, July 21.

The Department of National Defense (DND) announced the appointment on the authority of Marcos, hours ahead of the Change of Command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

The DND also announced that Lt. Gen. Donald M. Gumiran, currently commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), will replace Nafarrete as commanding general of the Army.

Nafarrete assumes command after Brawner completed the three-year fixed tenure for the AFP chief of staff under Republic Act No. 11939. Brawner also ended 41 years of military service, becoming the first AFP chief to complete the full term prescribed by law.

The Manila Bulletin earlier had an exclusive interview with Nafarette when he assumed command of the 110,000-strong Army in July last year, where he revealed that his brand of leadership focused on the welfare of the troops, saying every serviceman is the military's greatest asset.

His five-point command guidance emphasizes personnel development, morale, health, education, and financial literacy of the troops.

“Our greatest asset is really the soldier. Every soldier matters,” Nafarrete said.

“They are the strength of the Army. They are the ones behind the triggers. Even if we have the technology, if we are not well-trained, if we are not well-disciplined, if their health is not okay, then it is all for nothing. We also have to improve their equipment and their force protection so they will survive,” he added.

In managing the Army, he said that he focused on the troops’ welfare since he knew what it was like to be on the field.

“I am a soldier's soldier,” he said. “I have been there. I have done that. I feel what they feel.”

Nafarrete recalled seeing the hardships faced by soldiers assigned in conflict areas, particularly in Mindanao. He witnessed the effects of prolonged separation from families and the pressure of military life. He also remembered losing a young lieutenant who took his own life, while other troops went absent without official leave after their first combat missions.

The experiences, he said, taught him that not every battle is fought on the battlefield.

Born in Manila on Feb. 22, 1969, he grew up in Iloilo and said becoming a soldier was never part of his childhood dream. He had wanted to become a farmer after spending summers working in his family's rice fields and sugarcane farms in Calinog, Iloilo.

He eventually entered the Philippine Military Academy in 1986 after learning about the school during a career orientation.

He graduated with the PMA "Bigkis-Lahi" Class of 1990 and started his military career with the 10th Infantry Battalion in Zamboanga del Sur before becoming one of the pioneer officers of the reactivated First Scout Ranger Regiment.

He later served in various leadership posts, including assignments in the Armed Forces' Joint Special Operations Group and the Presidential Security Group, where he supervised external security for former President Benigno Aquino III.

Nafarrete bared that he wants to continue modernizing the military by developing both its people and its capabilities.

He said the military should be equipped not only with howitzers, missile systems, cyber capabilities, and other modern equipment, but also with soldiers trained in leadership, critical thinking, and resilience.

On internal security, Nafarrete said the communist insurgency has significantly weakened but focused operations will continue.

And as the Marcos administration continues to shift the military's focus toward external defense, Nafarrete said the military shall remain committed to protecting the country's territory, particularly in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“Of course, we are Filipinos. We will defend what is ours until the last drop of blood. We have techniques, tactics, and procedures for that,” he said.