PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Major General Andres Centino as the new commending general of the Philippine Army replacing Lieutenant General Jose Faustino.
Duterte signed the designation of Centino as Army Commanding General last Friday.
“We are confident that Major Gen. Centino will continue the initiatives to professionalize and modernize the principal branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines while building the gains to serve our people and secure our land,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
Centino was AFP deputy chief of staff for operations before his appointment as 4th ID commander in May last year.
“Given his known professionalism, operational experience, and managerial skills gained from various leadership echelons of the AFP, MGEN Centino will undoubtedly stir the Army to greater heights,” said Arevalo.
Faustino, who will retire in November 2021, was Philippine Army commanding general on “acting capacity.”
AFP chief Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said Sunday that Faustino’s relief as Army chief “is in accordance with… Republic Act 8186, section 4, wherein the CGPA should have at least one year remaining in the service on the day of his assumption.”
He is now designated as special assistant to the Chief of Staff on Peace and Development, added Sobejana.
As such, Faustino “will closely supervise the programs, activities and projects of the AFP Peace and Development Office, especially on matters pertaining to the Normalization Process of the Comprehensive Agreement of the Bangsamoro (CAB), particularly in ensuring that the Decommissioning of firearms of the former MILF combatants remains on schedule.”