Marcos defends Centino's appointment as AFP chief

ZURICH, Switzerland — President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Sunday defended the appointment of General Andres Centino as chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), saying it is meant to "rationalize" seniority in the military.

"We are rationalizing seniority. Andy Centino has four stars and Bob Bacarro had three stars," said Marcos who is in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

"So we need to adjust that so as not to cause confusion below," he added.

Marcos earlier this month appointed Centino back as AFP chief of staff, replacing his previous appointee Lieutenant General Bartolome Bacarro, who was AFP chief for only about five months.

Centino, who belongs to Philippine Military Academy "Maringal" Class of 1988, first served as AFP chief from November 12, 2021, to August 8, 2022.

The appointment of Centino back as AFP chief prompted Defense officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr. to resign, saying he was not formally informed about the matter. He has since been replaced by presidential peace adviser Carlito Galvez Jr.

Marcos said he appointed Galvez, a retired military general, to the Department of Defense because he is "very, very experienced." 

"In fact, as soon as he took his oath, he was already… he knew already what to do. Nag-command conference na siya. So I think he'll slide into that position really easily," Marcos said of Galvez.

Carlos

Meanwhile, asked about the resignation of Prof. Clarita Carlos as National Security Adviser, Marcos said she found her post "a little bit political."

"Si Secretary Carlos, I think she found that the position to be a little bit political. Because hindi talaga siya sanay sa ganun at she's a retired academic," he said.

Carlos has since been replaced by former Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.

According to Marcos, he picked Año for his " long, long experience in intelligence [gathering]."

"He (Año) is well known and he knows all of the operatives in the intelligence community," Marcos said.

According to Malacañang, Carlos had decided to continue her pursuit of scholastic endeavors and has joined the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives.

The CPBRD provides the House of Representatives with technical services in the formulation of national economic, fiscal, and social policies.

"I have realized that it is no longer politic to continue as NSA to the President," said Carlos in a statement over the weekend.

"And so, I have decided to migrate to another agency where my expertise on foreign, defense, and security policy will be of use and I shall continue to help build a better Philippines."

Año's designation as NSA is the latest in a series of recent appointments to government security positions. —KBK, GMA Integrated News