Duterte names new Army, Air Force chiefs

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte yesterday appointed the new chiefs of two military major services.

Maj. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1989, has been named Philippine Army chief, acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said.

Brawner will succeed Lt. Gen. Andres Centino, who has been designated chief of the country’s armed forces.

“We wish General Brawner all the best in his new assignment, and are confident that General Brawner will continue the reform initiatives his predecessors pursued in order to transform the largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) into a more dynamic and more professional organization true to its mandate to serve our people and secure our nation,” Nograles said in a statement.

Brawner is a former deputy chief of the task force that fought the Islamic-State-linked militants who laid siege to Marawi City in 2017. He also served as the commander of the Cagayan de Oro-based 4th Infantry Division and AFP spokesman.

Maj. Gen. Connor Anthony Canlas, also a member of PMA Class 1989, has been appointed commanding general of the Philippine Air Force, replacing Lt. Gen. Allen Paredes. Canlas served as chief of the Air Defense Command in Pampanga. – Michael Punongbayan