Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

History

The position of the chief of staff has been traced from the commanding general of the Philippine Army, when the Philippine Commonwealth Army (now the Philippine Army) was established as the main army of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. After the defeat of the First Philippine Republic during the Philippine–American War, the United States dissolved the army and relied on its armed forces together with some Filipino troops under the Philippine Constabulary. However, the National Defense Act of 1935 led to take on responsibilities on national defense and pave way for the creation of three major commands (Army, Air Force, Navy). Since the 1960s, the rosters of the chiefs of staff is arranged accordingly.

On June 19, 2020, under the DND Order no. 174, the title of chief of staff was renamed as the chairman of the joint chiefs, while the vice-chief of staff as vice-chairman of the joint chiefs, and the deputy chief of staff as chief of the joint staff. Although the usage of these titles were deferred.

Organization and term limit

The Chief of Staff of the AFP is assisted by the Vice-Chief of Staff of the AFP (VCSAFP) and The Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP (TDCSAFP), both holders of the rank of lieutenant general/vice admiral. The Vice-Chief of Staff serves as the primary assistant of the Chief of Staff of the AFP in their operational duties, as well as in policy conceptualization and implementation matters in the AFP, and also assists the Chief of Staff of the AFP in their absence. The Deputy Chief of Staff (TDCS) is tasked to supervise the organizational staff, including the Joint Staff, the Special Staff, the Administrative and the Technical Staff. The Deputy Chief of Staff is also responsible for assisting the AFP's overall policy and strategy formations, and perform other duties assigned by the Chief of Staff of the AFP. These posts are also assisted by the secretary joint staff (SJS), who serves as the executive officer for the Chief of Staff, the VCS, and TDCS. The Chief of Staff of the AFP is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Sergeant Major (AFPSM).

The Chief of Staff of the AFP has no definite or fixed term limit, under Republic Act No. 8186, as the term limit of the Chief of Staff of the AFP, along with all uniformed members of the AFP, has a mandatory retirement age at 56 years old. Nevertheless, the Chief of Staff of the AFP's term can be extended and allows a flexible term while serving beyond the mandatory retirement age, as the Chief of Staff of the AFP can serve their post until 3 years. Plans to reform the current system were made in 2011, but was vetoed by then-President Benigno Aquino III. An updated bill is currently being crafted since 2020, which aims to create a fixed term of 3 years for the Chief of Staff of the AFP, the VCS, TDCS, the commanders of the three major services (Army, Navy, Air Force), the commanders of the combatant commands (NOLCOM, SOLCOM, WESCOM, VISCOM, WESTMINCOM, EASTMINCOM), the Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, the Commander of the AFP Joint Special Operations Command, and the Commander of the upcoming Cyber Security Command; while the Superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) will have a 4-year term in their post, and will not be allowed to be reappointed in other higher posts. The bill also allows the president to remove the sitting Chief of Staff of the AFP at his/her pleasure within their 3-year term. Once passed and enacted into law, the new law aims to increase the flexibility, organizational professionalism and effectiveness in their respective roles. On May 16, 2022, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the Republic Act No. 11709, which serves as the new law that enables a three-year fixed term for key officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including the Chief of Staff of the AFP.

Fixed-term issues under R.A. No. 11709

Months after the signing of the new term law, reports were being made on the possible rumbling in the AFP hierarchy due to the complications caused by the Republic Act No. 11709 from the promotions of younger officers and to the reduction of promoted officers within the senior officers rank (major-colonel/lieutenant commander-captain) due to the reduced tenure limits, which caused anxiety regarding the lowering of a merit-based promotion system. The issue also got more friction from an editorial article written by former AFP spokesman Major General Edgard Arevalo PN(M) (Ret.) in The Manila Times named "The fates of two AFP chiefs of staff", which tackles about the appointment of Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro as AFP chief, who is retiring earlier than his predecessor General Andres Centino, which makes Centino's position higher than Bacarro's. Due to these problems, a revised law was crafted to solve the problems, which led to the ratification of Republic Act no. 11939, which was signed by President Bongbong Marcos on May 17, 2023. Under the new law, the reduced number of officials who will have a fixed term to only five, namely the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (three-year tenure); the commanding general of the Philippine Army, the commanding general of the Philippine Air Force, the flag officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy (two-year tenure) and the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy (four-year tenure). The law also allows their fixed terms to be completely terminated upon the president's pleasure. Amidst the swirling rumors on the potential replacement of the AFP chief regarding the seniority problem, the issues within the top brass was resolved on January 7, 2023, as General Andres Centino was reappointed as the AFP chief replacing Lieutenant General Bartolome Vicente Bacarro.

Officeholders

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Notes

References

References

1. (May 17, 2023). "Republic Act No. 11939 {{!}} GOVPH".
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