The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will be implementing another round of reshuffle of senior officers who are holding key positions in Camp Aguinaldo following the recent promotion of some senior officers, camp insiders told the BusinessMirror on Wednesday. The positions that will be reshuffled, insiders say would include the Civil Relations Service (CRS), The Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training (J-8), Inspector General (IG), Office of The Adjutant General (OTAG), and possibly the AFP Human Rights Office (HRO). Being considered as strong contenders for the CRS position are OTAG Chief Brig. Gen. Rolando Jungco of the Air Force and HRO Chief Brig. Gen. Domingo Tutaan Jr. of the Army. The CRS is currently being held by Maj. Gen. Rolando Tenefrancia. “He [Tenefrancia] is being considered to become the new J-8, DCS for Education and Training,” a source said. The J-8 is currently headed by Rear Admiral Cornelio de la Cruz Jr., who is being considered to become the new IG, a three-star position left vacant after the promotion of Army Lt. Gen. Irineo Espino as the new Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA).
“The CRS is a very crucial office in this stage of the Internal Peace and Security Program [IPSP] or Bayanihan. We need someone who will efficiently lead the CRS office for the effective implementation of the civil aspect of our IPSP,” a top level senior officer who declined to be named said. The IPSP, a counter-insurgency program, which replaced the human rights-tainted Oplan Bantay Laya I and II of the previous administration.
Other senior officers, on the other hand, said whoever would President Aquino appoint between Jungco and Tutaan is the “best choice” for the CRS position. Reached for comment, both Jungco and Tutaan were tightlipped and merely stated that the appointment to the position is the “prerogative” of the President as commander in chief. In terms of familiarity with CRS work, some insiders say Jungco may gain an edge because he served for such a long time as CRS deputy commander before he was promoted to the OTAG where he earned his star. Tutaan, on the other hand, was the first senior officer to be appointed head of the recently created AFP HRO where he rose to be a general.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines Civil Relations Service (AFP-CRS) is the equivalent of a joint service Psychological Operations/Civil Affairs unit in old U.S. parlence (although PSYOP in the U.S. military are now referred to as Military Information Support Operations or MISO). In the Philippines, President Ramos banned the use of the term PSYOP as part of military unit designations back in the 1990s.
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