Southern Luzon
Command commander Major General Ricardo Visaya will receive his three-star rank
of lieutenant general this weekend or early next week, after President Benigno
Aquino III approved his promotion along with those of other senior officers.
Aquino signed
Visaya’s promotion Thursday despite alleged efforts to stop his promotion
because of reports that he was going to replace outgoing Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.
Catapang is set
to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on the third week of July.
Also promoted to
the next higher rank are Intelligence Services of the AFP chief Brigadier
General Arnold Quiapo and 1st Infantry Division Commander Gerry Barrientos,
both classmates of Visaya at the Philippine Military Academy’s Class “Matikas”
of 1983.
Two other
classmates of Visaya, Colonels Bobet Moog and Joel Celino, were promoted to
brigadier general.
Aside from
Visaya, other contenders for the military top post are Philippine Air Force
chief Lieutenant General Jeffrey Delgado (PMA “Sandigan” Class of 1982) and
Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Irriberi (PMA 1983).
Both Visaya and
Delgado have personal ties with Aquino, having been presidential security aides
before.
Irriberi is
believed to be close to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.
Irriberi was
facing criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman
for delaying the delivery of three ammunition contracts worth P97.8 million of
a supplier, who has been seeking for his preventive suspension.
There is also
talk that Irriberi will be kicked upstairs and named AFP vice chief of staff
when Lt. Gen. John Bonafos retires this August.
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2015/06/20/visaya-others-get-promoted/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.