T Chief of Staff “unless sooner terminated by the President.”
RA 11939 amended the previous law, RA 11709, which
prescribed fixed terms for the key officials of the AFP. The
existing law (RA 11939) clearly states that the AFP Chief of
Staff will compulsorily retire upon the completion of a tour of
duty or upon relief by the President.
In both instances, when Gen. Andres Centino was reappointed last January as Chief of Staff of the AFP and now has
him replaced by Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner ahead of his compulsory retirement, the President exercised his prerogative as
the Commander in Chief which is allowed under RA 11939
and RA 11709. If I may further emphasize, the authority to
appoint is one of the President’s foremost powers under our
Constitution.
Gen. Centino already made significant accomplishments
in improving our internal security situation and I commend
him for his dedicated service as the outgoing Chief of Staff.
He will be handing over a much better AFP to Gen. Brawner.
As he takes on his significant responsibility, I am confident that Lt. Gen. Brawner will lead the AFP with the highest
level of integrity, professionalism, and honor. Throughout his
distinguished career, Lt. Gen. Brawner has proven himself as
a capable military leader. His extensive experience in various
key positions within the AFP has honed his skills in managing complex operations and addressing the security challenges that our country is facing today.