PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Lieutenant General Jose Faustino as the next chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Faustino is the current commander of the Joint Task Force Mindanao, former acting commanding general of the Philippine Army and commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command.

In a statement, the AFP welcomed Faustino’s appointment.

Faustino will succeed AFP Chief of Staff Cirilito Sobejana, who is set to retire from military service on Saturday, July 31, 2021.

“His wealth of experience and passion for service as a Commander and staff officer, gives him the mettle to lead the AFP in accomplishing its mission especially as we turn up a notch our operations in achieving lasting peace and development in the country,” the AFP said in a statement.

Faustino will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 in November 2021. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)