President extends

Ao tour of duty
By: Jeannette I. Andrade - Reporter / @jiandradeINQ
Philippine Daily Inquirer / 01:30 AM May 26, 2017

AFP Chief of Staff, General Eduardo Ao PHOTO BY JOSEPH VIDAL

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the tour of duty of Gen.

Eduardo Ao, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, as
implementer of martial law in Mindanao.

Mr. Duterte likewise tapped newly appointed Environment Secretary

Roy Cimatu, a former AFP chief of staff, as the civilian authority
who will give orders to Ao.
Speaking upon his arrival from Moscow late Wednesday, the
President said he extended Aos tour of duty for six months
because, I do not want to change horses midstream.
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Addressing Ao, Mr. Duterte said, You, sir, will be the implementer
[of martial law]. You get your orders from the civilian authority, Roy
Cimatu.

He told Ao, who was supposed to retire this week to take over the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) portfolio:
You will implement [martial law]. So there would no longer be
questions, you will be reporting to a civilian official.

In the higher echelons of the authority, it must emanate from a

civilian, the President said.

Mr. Duterte said he tapped Cimatu to be the civilian authority

because he was a former AFP chief of staff.

Undersecretary Catalino Cuy, a former Davao City police chief, will

remain acting interior secretary until Ao assumes the top DILG post
upon his retirement.

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