Army head Cirilito Sobejana is next AFP chief — Palace

President Rodrigo Duterte has named Army commanding general Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana as the next head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Malacañang said Wednesday.

Sobejana will succeed incumbent AFP chief General Gilbert Gapay, who is set to retire from the service on February 4.

“We are confident that General Sobejana will continue to modernize our military and undertake reform initiatives to make the Armed Forces truly professional in its mandate as the protector of the people and the state,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said.

“We wish General Sobejana all the best in his new tour of duty as we pray for his success.”

Medal of Valor

Sobejana, a Medal of Valor awardee, belongs to the Philippine Military Academy "Hinirang" Class of 1987. He had also served as commander of the Western Mindanao Command.

Sobejana earned his Medal of Valor in 1995 for fighting against Abu Sayyaf bandits during a heavy gun battle in Basilan. He almost lost his right arm, which was hit by two bullets, during that firefight.

Aside from Sobejana, two former military chiefs garnered the highest award that can be bestowed to a soldier since the establishment of the AFP in 1935, according to the AFP.

These were Paulino Santos (AFP chief from May 6, 1936 to December 31, 1938) and Mariano Castañeda (AFP chief from December 21, 1948 to May 28, 1951).

AFP spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo welcomed the designation of Sobejana as the 55th chief of staff of the Philippine military as he described Sobejana as "the finest in Filipino soldiery."

"Vastly experienced in command and leadership, humble and unassuming, Lt. Gen. Sobejana is highly respected even outside the Philippine Army given his impressive track record in every command he holds," Arevalo said.

"He is known to his superiors, peers, and subordinates as a warrior with the heart of a peacemaker," he added.

Sobejana will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on July 31. — Virgil Lopez and Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA News