AFP chief submits retirement papers to Noy

From the Philippine Star (Feb 11): AFP chief submits retirement papers to Noy

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hernando Iriberri has submitted his retirement papers to President Aquino as he bows out of the service a few days before the elections in May.

Iriberri confirmed his retirement when asked about a possible extension of his term during the ban on appointments in the election period.

“It will be presumptuous to say that. I have already submitted all my retirement papers to the President,” Iriberri said, laughing off his possible extension in the service by the President.

Observers say the extension of Irriberi’s service until after the election period will give the next administration a free hand in selecting its new military chief.

Some senior military officers who were with Iriberri said the President, as commander-in-chief, could request the Commission on Elections to allow him to appoint the successor of Iriberri.

Iriberri, of Philippine Military Academy Class 1983, assumed as AFP chief last July 10, 2015. He is set to retire on April 22 when he turns 56 years old, the mandatory age of retirement from the military.

Iriberri declined to speculate on who his possible successor could be.

http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/02/11/1551908/afp-chief-submits-retirement-papers-noy