Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer (except for the President of the Philippines, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief equivalent to a five-star general) and the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including all service branches (Army, Air Force, Navy–Marine Corps, Coast Guard—in Wartime Attached Service) under its command. The position is usually held by a four-star rank of General or Admiral. Its direct equivalent in the US Armed Forces is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Unlike its US counterpart, which is merely supervisory, the Chief of Staff has complete operational control and is responsible for the overall operations of the AFP.

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Emblem of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Flag of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Incumbent
GEN Andres C. Centino, PA
since November 12, 2021
Reports toSecretary of National Defense
President of the Philippines
SeatCamp Aguinaldo, Quezon City
AppointerThe President
with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term lengthMandatory retirement at age 56,[1]
but can be extended by three years
Constituting instrumentRepublic Act No. 8186[2][3]
FormationDecember 21, 1935
First holderJose Delos Reyes
Unofficial namesChairman of the Joint Chiefs
DeputyVice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Assistant)
The Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Administrative and Organizational Duties)
WebsitePhilippine Armed Forces
Not to be confused with Malacañang Chief of Staff.

The holder of this position is appointed by, as well as directly reports to the President of the Philippines under the Article VII, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution.[4] He executes the President's commands, tactics, operations, plannings, and strategies, as well as serves as the Immediate Adviser to the Secretary of National Defense. He also prescribes directions to all commands (including the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, the Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force, the Flag Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy, the Commanders of the AFP Unified Commands, and the AFP Board of Generals).

The Armed Forces of the Philippines were created as a result of the Commonwealth Act No. 1, also known as the National Defense Act of 1935. However, the origin of the organization can be traced back to the establishment of the Philippine Constabulary, armed Filipino forces organized in 1901 by the United States to combat the Philippine Revolutionary Army then led by General Emilio Aguinaldo.

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.[5]

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.[6] Although the usage of these titles were deferred.[7]

Organization and term limit

The AFP Chief of Staff 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 AFP Chief of Staff in their operational duties, as well as in policy conceptualization and implementation matters in the AFP, and also assists the AFP Chief of Staff in their absence. The Deputy Chief of Staff (DCSAFP) 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 AFP Chief of Staff. These posts are also assisted by the Secretary Joint Staff (SJSAFP), who serves as the executive officer for the AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff, and The Deputy Chief of Staff. [8] [9] The AFP Chief of Staff is also advised on enlisted personnel matters by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Sergeant Major (AFPSM).

The AFP Chief of Staff has no definite or fixed term limit, as the current term limit of the AFP Chief of Staff, along with all uniformed members of the AFP, has a mandatory retirement age at 56 years old. Nevertheless, the AFP Chief of Staff's term can be extended and allows a flexible term while serving beyond the mandatory retirement age, as the AFP Chief of Staff 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 AFP Chief of Staff, the Vice Chief of Staff, The Deputy Chief of Staff, the commanders of the three major services (Army, Navy, Air Force), the commanders of the unified commands (NOLCOM, SOLCOM, WESCOM, CENTCOM, WESTMINCOM, EASTMINCOM), the commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps, the commander of the AFP 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 AFP chief of staff 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. [10] [11]

Officeholders
No. Portrait Chief of StaffTook officeLeft officeTime in officeService branchRef.
1
Reyes, Jose de losMajor General
Jose de los Reyes		December 21, 1935May 6, 1936137 days
Philippine Army
2
Santos, PaulinoMajor General
Paulino Santos
(1890–1945)		May 6, 1936December 31, 19382 years, 239 days
Philippine Army
3
Valdez, BasilioMajor General
Basilio Valdes
(1892–1970)		January 1, 1939November 7, 19456 years, 310 days
Philippine Constabulary
4
Jalandoni, RafaelMajor General
Rafael Jalandoni		December 21, 1945December 20, 19482 years, 365 days
Philippine Constabulary
5
Castañeda, MarianoMajor General
Mariano Castañeda
(1892–1970)		December 21, 1948May 28, 19512 years, 158 days
Philippine Constabulary
6
Duque, CalixtoMajor General
Calixto Duque		June 2, 1951December 30, 19532 years, 211 days
Philippine Army
7
Vargas, JesusLieutenant General
Jesus Vargas		December 30, 1953December 29, 19562 years, 365 days
Philippine Army
8
Arellano, AlfonsoLieutenant General
Alfonso Arellano		December 29, 1956December 31, 19582 years, 2 days
Philippine Army
9
Cabal, ManuelLieutenant General
Manuel Cabal		January 1, 1959December 30, 19612 years, 363 days
Philippine Constabulary
10
Cruz, PelagioLieutenant General
Pelagio Cruz
(1912–1986)		December 30, 1961August 31, 1962244 days
Philippine Air Force
11
Santos, AlfredoGeneral
Alfredo Santos
(1905–1990)		September 1, 1962July 12, 19652 years, 314 days
Philippine Army
12
Atienza, RigobertoGeneral
Rigoberto Atienza		July 13, 1965January 22, 1966193 days
Philippine Army
13
Mata, ErnestoGeneral
Ernesto Mata
(1915–2012)		January 22, 1966January 21, 1967364 days
Philippine Army
14
Osias, VictorGeneral
Victor Osias		January 21, 1967August 15, 1967206 days
Philippine Air Force
15
Velasco, SegundoGeneral
Segundo Velasco		August 15, 1967May 27, 1968286 days
Philippine Army
16
Yan, ManuelGeneral
Manuel Yan
(1920–2008)
[lower-alpha 1]		May 28, 1968January 15, 19723 years, 232 days
Philippine Constabulary
17
Espino, RomeoGeneral
Romeo Espino
[lower-alpha 2]		January 15, 1972August 15, 19819 years, 212 days
Philippine Army
18
Ver, FabianGeneral
Fabian Ver
(1920–1998)
[lower-alpha 3]		August 15, 1981
December 2, 1985		October 24, 1984
February 25, 1986		3 years, 70 days
85 days
Philippine Constabulary
19
Ramos, FidelGeneral
Fidel Ramos
(born 1928)
[lower-alpha 4]		October 24, 1984
February 25, 1986		December 2, 1985
January 23, 1988		1 year, 39 days
1 year, 332 days
Philippine Constabulary
20
de Villa, RenatoGeneral
Renato de Villa
(born 1935)
[lower-alpha 5]		January 25, 1988January 23, 19912 years, 363 days
Philippine Constabulary
21
Biazon, RodolfoGeneral
Rodolfo Biazon
(born 1935)
[lower-alpha 6]		January 24, 1991April 12, 199178 days
Philippine Marine Corps
22
Abadia, LisandroGeneral
Lisandro Abadia
(1938–2022)		April 12, 1991April 12, 19943 years, 0 days
Philippine Army
23
Enrile, ArturoGeneral
Arturo Enrile
(1940–1998)
[lower-alpha 7]		April 15, 1994November 28, 19962 years, 227 days
Philippine Army
24
Acedera, ArnulfoGeneral
Arnulfo Acedera Jr.
(1941–2020)		November 28, 1996December 18, 19971 year, 20 days
Philippine Air Force
26
Mariano, ClementeGeneral
Clemente Mariano		December 18, 1997June 30, 1998194 days
Philippine Army
27
Nazareno, JoselinoGeneral
Joselino Nazareno
[lower-alpha 8]		July 1, 1998July 8, 19991 year, 7 days
Philippine Army
28
Reyes, AngeloGeneral
Angelo Reyes
(1945–2011)
[lower-alpha 9]		July 8, 1999March 17, 20011 year, 252 days
Philippine Army
29
Villanueva, DiomedioGeneral
Diomedio Villanueva		March 17, 2001May 18, 20021 year, 62 days
Philippine Army
30
Cimatu, RoyGeneral
Roy Cimatu
(born 1946)
[lower-alpha 10]		May 18, 2002September 10, 2002115 days
Philippine Army
31
Defensor, Benjamin Jr.General
Benjamin Defensor Jr.		September 10, 2002November 28, 200279 days
Philippine Air Force
32
Santiago, DionisioGeneral
Dionisio Santiago
[lower-alpha 11]		November 28, 2002April 8, 2003131 days
Philippine Army
34
Abaya, NarcisoGeneral
Narciso Abaya		April 8, 2003October 29, 20041 year, 204 days
Philippine Army
35
Abu, EfrenGeneral
Efren Abu		October 29, 2004August 15, 2005290 days
Philippine Army
36
Senga, GenerosoGeneral
Generoso Senga		August 15, 2005July 22, 2006341 days
Philippine Army
37
Esperon, Hermogenes Jr.General
Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
(born 1952)
[lower-alpha 12]		July 22, 2006May 12, 20081 year, 295 days
Philippine Army
38
Yano, AlexanderGeneral
Alexander Yano
[lower-alpha 13]		May 12, 2008May 1, 2009354 days
Philippine Army
39
Ibrado, VictorGeneral
Victor Ibrado		May 1, 2009March 10, 2010313 days
Philippine Army
40
Bangit, DelfinGeneral
Delfin Bangit
(1955–2013)		March 10, 2010June 22, 2010104 days
Philippine Army
–
Ochoa, NestorLieutenant General
Nestor Ochoa
Acting		June 22, 2010June 30, 20108 days
Philippine Army
41
David, Ricardo Jr.General
Ricardo David
(born 1955)
[lower-alpha 14]		July 2, 2010March 7, 2011248 days
Philippine Army
42
Oban, Eduardo Jr.General
Eduardo Oban Jr.
(born 1955)		March 7, 2011December 12, 2011280 days
Philippine Air Force
43
Dellosa, JessieGeneral
Jessie Dellosa
(born 1957)		December 12, 2011January 20, 20131 year, 39 days
Philippine Army
44
Bautista, EmmanuelGeneral
Emmanuel Bautista
(born 1958)		January 20, 2013July 18, 20141 year, 179 days
Philippine Army
45
Catapang, Gregorio PioGeneral
Gregorio Pio Catapang
(born 1959)
[lower-alpha 15]		July 18, 2014July 10, 2015357 days
Philippine Army
46
Catapang, Gregorio PioGeneral
Hernando Delfin Carmelo A. Iriberri
(born 1960)		July 10, 2015April 22, 2016287 days
Philippine Army		[12]
–
Miranda, GloriosoLieutenant General
Glorioso Miranda
(born 1961)
Acting		April 22, 2016June 30, 201669 days
Philippine Army
47
Visaya, RicardoGeneral
Ricardo Visaya
(born 1960)
[lower-alpha 16]		July 1, 2016December 7, 2016159 days
Philippine Army
48
Año, EduardoGeneral
Eduardo Año
(born 1961)
[lower-alpha 17]		December 7, 2016October 26, 2017323 days
Philippine Army		[12]
49
Guerrero, Rey LeonardoGeneral
Rey Leonardo Guerrero
(born 1961)
[lower-alpha 18]		October 26, 2017April 18, 2018174 days
Philippine Army		[14]
50
Galvez, Carlito, Jr.General
Carlito Galvez Jr.
(born 1962)
[lower-alpha 19]		April 18, 2018December 11, 2018237 days
Philippine Army
51
Madrigal, Benjamin, Jr.General
Benjamin Madrigal Jr.
(born 1963)
[lower-alpha 20]		December 11, 2018September 24, 2019287 days
Philippine Army
52
Clement, NoelGeneral
Noel Clement
(born 1964)		September 24, 2019January 4, 2020102 days
Philippine Army
53
Santos, FelimonGeneral
Felimon Santos Jr.
(born 1964)		January 4, 2020August 3, 2020212 days
Philippine Army
54
Gapay, GilbertGeneral
Gilbert Gapay
(born 1965)		August 3, 2020February 4, 2021185 days
Philippine Army
55
Sobejana, CirilitoGeneral
Cirilito Sobejana
(born 1965)		February 4, 2021July 31, 2021177 days
Philippine Army		[15]
56
Faustino, Jose Jr.General
Jose Faustino Jr.
(born 1965)		July 31, 2021November 12, 2021104 days
Philippine Army		[15]
57
Centino, AndresGeneral
Andres Centino
(born 1967)		November 12, 2021Incumbent172 days
Philippine Army		[16] [17]

See also

Notes
  1. Yan served as the youngest chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the age of 48. Prior to that, he was the chief of the Philippine Constabulary. He currently holds the record for longest continuous government service from 1937– 2001 or 64 years of service.
  2. Espino served as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army before appointed to become the top military man. Espino is the longest-serving Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for nine years, especially during the martial law regime. A second product of the ROTC. During his term, he was fair in administering the military, unlike his successor, General Fabian Ver.
  3. Ver was considered a loyalist and the second most powerful man in the country next to President Ferdinand Marcos in the later years of his authoritarian regime, replacing then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who held the status since 1972 when Marcos named him as martial law administrator upon the imposition of martial law. Ver, in fact, was the most powerful military officer at that time for, aside from being the top military man, he was also the commander of the Presidential Security Command and the director-general of NISA, the Marcos regime's secret police. The third military officer appointed as chief of staff that came from ROTC. During his term, he was known for his favoritism especially in the promotion of officers & was linked to the assassination of Senator Benigno Aquino Jr., the biggest critique of the Marcos regime.
  4. Ramos then, before becoming the chief of the now defunct Philippine Constabulary in 1972, he was the commander of Philippine Army's 3rd Division in Cebu. On the 1980s he was promoted into vice-chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant general but remained as PC chief. After the EDSA revolt that ousted Marcos his cousin from power, he became the AFP chief. Later after retiring as AFP chief of staff during the term of President Corazon C. Aquino, he served as Secretary of National Defense and was elected the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines in 1992 and served until 1998, the year which the country celebrated it's centennial anniversary of the declaration of Independence, earning him the nickname of "Centennial President". He is the 2nd Army General who became the President of the Republic after Gen. Aguinaldo but he was the first & only career military officer to hold a rank of five-star general/admiral de jure rising from second lieutenant up to commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
  5. Prior to becoming chief of staff, in 1986, de Villa was named to be the chief of the Philippine Constabulary (now defunct), then an AFP major service acting as the country's police force while he was also named to be AFP vice-chief of staff with the rank of three-star general. Upon retirement, de Villa served as Secretary of National Defense when he retired in 1991 and ran for president but lost to Joseph Estrada and Executive Secretary under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
  6. Biazon served in the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives after his retirement as AFP chief of staff in 1991. He is the first and only Chief of Staff from the PMC. Prior to that, he served as the commander of the AFP NCR Defense Command in 1988 and Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps in 1987. He had also served as the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy in 1986.
  7. Enrile later served as Secretary of the DOTC under President Fidel Ramos.
  8. Later served as Ambassador to Pakistan.
  9. Reyes later served as Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of DILG, Secretary of DENR, and Secretary of DOE under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
  10. Cimatu later served as Special Envoy to the Middle East. Cimatu served as the Secretary of the DENR under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
  11. Later served as the director-general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
  12. Esperon later served as Presidential Adviser on Peace Process under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo & later served as National Security Adviser under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
  13. Yano later served as our country's Ambassador to Brunei.
  14. David later served as Bureau of Immigration Commissioner under President Benigno Aquino III.
  15. Later served as Bases Conversion Development Agency Board Member.
  16. Later served as the Administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.[13]
  17. Later served as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
  18. Later served as the Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and later as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
  19. Later served as the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process & later as the Vaccine Czar during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines
  20. Madrigal later served as a member of the governing board of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

References
  1. "Gen. Glorioso Miranda named as acting AFP chief". CNN Philippines. April 22, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  2. Macas, Trisha (December 7, 2017). "Duterte extends AFP chief Guerrero's term". GMA News Online. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  3. "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8186". Chan Robles. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  4. "CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE VII".
  5. "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines". Official Gazette.
  6. Mangosing, Frances (July 13, 2020). "PH military adopting new titles: Chief of staff now Joint Chiefs Chair". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  7. "MaxDefense received confirmation that AFP has deferred the use of the new designation names, President has not yet approved the use of these". July 26, 2020.
  8. "AFP Vice Chief of Staff Collado retires". Manila Bulletin.
  9. https://m.facebook.com/nt/screen/?params=%7B%22note_id%22%3A377320926969016%7D&path=%2Fnotes%2Fnote%2F&refsrc=deprecated&_rdr. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. "Senate panel tackles fixed term for AFP chief, other top officers". Rappler. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  11. Lalu, Gabriel Pabico (August 26, 2020). "Gordon wants fixed terms, higher mandatory retirement age for AFP officials". INQUIRER.net. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
  12. "Rebel hunter Año is new AFP chief". Rappler. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
  13. "Duterte leads AFP change of command rites". Sun.Star Manila. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  14. "Hello, goodbye, General Guerrero". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  15. "Sobejana bows out of military service; Faustino assumes post - UNTV News". UNTV News. July 31, 2021.
  16. Mangosing, Frances (November 12, 2021). "Army chief Centino to assume command as new AFP chief". INQUIRER.net.
  17. "Army commander Andres Centino is new AFP chief". cnn.
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