By Nikolai Ordoña

Former Department of National Defense (DND) Officer-in-Charge Jose Faustino Jr. spoke up about his recent resignation, explaining that he left the position because of the sudden reappointment of Gen. Andres Centino as returning chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), formally succeeding Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro.

“With the utmost respect, I submitted my irrevocable letter of resignation to the president, His Excellency Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., on Friday, January 6, 2023, after learning only from news and social media reports that an oath of office of the new Chief of Staff, AFP had taken place at Malacañang,” Faustino said in a statement last Tuesday, a day after his resignation was announced by the palace. 

The statement ended with Faustino saying that he could not allow the AFP’s reputation “to be tarnished, maligned or politicized,” though he assured that he will always hold the agency “in high esteem.” 

Malacañang refuted Faustino’s claim that he was not informed of the leadership change, saying that he was aware of the developments regarding Gen. Centino’s appointment.

The AFP turnover ceremony was held last Saturday, January 7, at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. 

This is also the first time a former chief assumed the top post for a second time. Faustino’s absence at the event sparked rumors of mass resignations in the DND. However, the AFP dismissed the claims, calling it fake news. 

Former military chief Carlito Galvez Jr. replaced Faustino as the new DND secretary. 

Galvez was known for his role as one of the generals leading the 2017 Marawi siege. After his retirement from the armed forces, he became chief implementer of the National Task Force for COVID-19 and was instrumental in the procurement of vaccines as “vaccine czar”.

Thumbnail from GMA News