|
Monday, June 27, 2005
New military chief to stick to Constitution, chain of command
ARMY Chief Generoso Senga, who will take over the top military post on August 15, said Sunday he would continue to strengthen the chain of command and would remain loyal to the Constitution in dealing with the country's "unstable state."
Press secretary and presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye last Friday announced the appointment of Lieutenant General Senga as the incoming chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) replacing incumbent AFP Chief Efren Abu.
Abu was supposed to retire last Friday upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 but his term had been extended by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Once he formally assumes as the next AFP chief, Senga said: "We will definitely continue to strengthen the chain of command. We affirm our loyalty to the flag, to the Constitution and to the duly-constituted authorities."
He said he would intensify further the military's efforts against internal security threats, continue the reform programs initiated by Abu and the military's Capability Upgrade Program, which Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz claimed will mean the defeat of the communist group.
The Army chief, in a chance interview, also thanked the President for showing trust and confidence in him to run the 115,000-strong military force.
Senga, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class of 1972, is known for a number of feats, including the capture of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) camp called Bulliok Complex in February 2002.
A holder of a master's degree in business administration from Ateneo de Manila University, Senga has a number of military schoolings both local and abroad.
He was the commander of the Southern Command in Zamboanga City before he was named the Army chief in October last year.
During the time of former AFP chief and now Interior and Local Government Secretary Angelo Reyes, Senga was named the AFP spokesman and handled questions on the military leadership's withdrawal of support from former President Joseph Estrada in January 2001.
Senga bested Vice Admiral Ernesto de Leon, chief of the Philippine Navy who is among the contenders for Abu's post. His appointment will mean that de Leon would have to retire in March next year.
Senga would be replaced as Army chief by Major General Hermogenes Esperon, commander of the Army's Special Operations Command based in Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija. (JFF)
(June 27, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
|
