MANILA – Eastern Command chief Lieutenant General Felimon Santos Jr. will take over the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed the appointment of Santos replacing General Noel Clement, who is set to retire this month after a three-month stint as military chief.
Santos is a member of Philippine Military Academy Sinagtala Class of 1986 and spent most of his junior years with the Mindanao-based 39th Infantry Battalion.
Santos has also helmed the 11th Intelligence Service Unit based in Davao City.
Among Santos’ previous posts were Chief of Operations of Central Command in Visayas; 703rd Infantry Brigade Commander in Central Luzon; Battalion Commander of 63rd Infantry Battalion in Samar Province; and Assistant Division Commander of 6th Infantry Division, Philippine Army in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Awang Maguindanao.
He was the former commander of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army based in Fort Ramon Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.
President Duterte will attend turnover ceremonies between Santos and Clement on Saturday, said Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, the President’s former special assistant.
Duterte skipped the change of command ceremony when Clement assumed the 3-month leadership of the military in September./PN
