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Cimatu: Arroyo’s ‘thinking general’ returns as Duterte’s environment chief


Roy Cimatu is the 29th chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He held the post for a mere four months-from May 18 to September 10, 2002.

He was one of the 11 chiefs of staffs appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her nine-year presidency that saw the height of the revolving door policy in the AFP.

Arroyo had called Cimatu the "thinking general."

She had cited among his accomplishments in his 36 years in military service the capture of most of the 46 camps of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the year 2000.

Shortly after his retirement, Arroyo appointed Cimatu as special envoy of the Middle East Preparedness Team, which was tasked to look after the safety and welfare of Filipinos in the Middle East amid the tension in Iraq.

He held the post until June 2011.

In January 2011, the Department of Justice recommended the filing of plunder charges against Cimatu and other high-ranking AFP officials for allegedly accumulating ill-gotten wealth sourced from the conversion of military funds.

The charges were based on the complaint of retired Col. George Rabusa, former AFP budget officer, who had testified before a Senate hearing that Cimatu and other former AFP chiefs of staff received sendoff money when they retired.

In April 2013, the Office of the Ombudsman released a decision recommending the dismissal of the plunder charges for lack of evidence.

In an April 20, 2016 press release, Cimatu was identified by the camp of then Sen. Bongbong Marcos as among the retired AFP generals who threw their support behind his vice presidential bid. Cimatu hails from Bangui, Ilocos Norte--the province of the Marcoses.

Cimatu belongs to the Philippine Military Academy Class 1970. His notable batchmates include fellow Arroyo appointees: former Philippine National Police chief Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and former AFP chief of staff Dionisio Santiago. Like Cimatu, Ebdane and Santiago were appointed by Arroyo to government posts after their retirement from the PNP and AFP.

A few weeks ago, Malacañang announced Cimatu's reappointment as special envoy for OFW refugees in the Middle East. —NB, GMA News

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