Appointment of new DND

Chief: Key to ensure national

peace and security
Published January 11

After a weekend during which a new Armed

Forces of the Philippines chief of staff was appointed, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
has asked retired General Carlito Galvez Jr. to serve as secretary of national defense. These
twin moves serve to restore a sense of equanimity in the security sector.
General Galvez is currently a Cabinet member as Presidential Adviser on Peace,
Reconciliation and Unity, a position he has occupied since the Duterte administration. He
also served as overall coordinator of the national Covid-19 vaccination campaign.

Most importantly, he has served as AFP Chief of Staff and commanding general of the AFP
Western Mindanao Command during which he directed the operations to end the siege of
Marawi City in 2017.
His previous experience prepared him well for his Cabinet portfolio as presidential adviser
on the peace process. As a field general, he became acquainted with the local leaders who
were influential in conflict areas where the government sought to implement social
amelioration and economic development initiatives. After he joined the Duterte Cabinet, he
led the campaign for the eventual ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
He was a recipient of the prestigious Eisenhower Fellowship and has participated in the
Asian Institute of Management’s Bridging Leadership Program. He has also been
recognized as one of The Outstanding Philippine Soldiers by the Metrobank Foundation.

These developments in the DND came amid rumors of destabilization following the return
of General Andres Centino as AFP chief of staff — which both the AFP and the Philippine
National Police (PNP) denied. As this developed, the Philippine Army (PA), the Philippine
Navy (PN), and the Philippine Air Force (PAF) expressed solidarity with Centino. They
affirmed their commitment to professionalism in the aftermath of the change of leadership
that saw Medal of Valor awardee, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro, being replaced at
the top AFP post after serving for only five months.

The position of secretary of national defense is one of the most important appointments of
the President who is also the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces. The
Department of National Defense supervises the three major service commands consisting of
the army, navy and air force with nearly 150,000 officers and enlisted personnel.

Noteworthy is the fact that in the two previous administrations of President Benigno S
Aquino III and President Rodrigo Duterte, both of these Commanders-in-Chief were served
by a single secretary of national defense for the entire duration of their stewardship. Voltaire
Gazmin, who retired as Philippine Army commanding general, served with President
Aquino from 2010 to 2016. Delfin Lorenzana, who served previously as military attaché in
Washington, DC served with President Duterte from 2016 to 2022.
The DND’s mandate is “to maximize its effectiveness in guarding against external and
internal threats to national peace and security, promoting the welfare of soldiers and
veterans, and providing support for social and economic development.”

The citizenry expects that the leadership of the organizations responsible for ensuring the
security and stability of the state is in good hands.