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Slain general's son is new AFP chief


(Updated 9:18 a.m., Jan. 16, 2013) An Army general whose father was part of a group of soldiers massacred by Moro rebels in Sulu province in the late Seventies has been appointed chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Newly appointed AFP chief Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Bautista. AFP photo.
"We are pleased to announce the appointment of Lieutenant General Emmanuel T. Bautista as Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines effective January 20, 2013," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a statement Tuesday. The turnover ceremony will be held Thursday at Camp Aguinaldo. Bautista, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1981, will replace Gen. Jessie Dellosa, who is due to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Sunday. "We thank outgoing AFP Chief of Staff Dellosa for having served the country and our uniformed personnel with exemplary dedication and commitment," Valte said. "We look forward to the stint of the incoming AFP Chief of Staff in continuing the reforms set in motion by the President and implemented by his predecessors in advancing the interests of our soldiers and the enhancement of the defense capabilities of our country," she added. In a short statement issued on Wednesday, Bautista thanked President Aquino, Defense chief Voltaire Gazmin and Dellosa for his appointment. "I am humbled by my selection as the AFP chief of staff. I can only repay this trust and confidence by devoting the remaining days of my career in the service to our people and the performance of the AFP's mandate," Bautista said. General's son Bautista is the son of the late Brig. Gen. Teodulfo Bautista, who, along with dozens of his men, was killed by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels during a negotiation in October 1977. A military camp in Sulu province was named after the slain general. President Benigno Aquino III appointed the younger Bautista Army chief in November 2011. Before that, Bautista was the commander of the 3rd Infantry Division in Capiz. Bautista is due to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 20, 2014. — KBK/RSJ, GMA News
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