President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday, December 6 has extended the term of the new Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Rey Leonardo Guerrero for another four months.
“This is to announce that the Executive Secretary, by authority of the President, has signed yesterday, December 6, the extension of the service of Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Rey Leonardo Guerrero,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
The AFP Chief Guerrero will reach his age of compulsory retirement on December 17, 2017. However, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that President Duterte has extended Guerrero’s service to April 24, 2018, as per Republic Act No. 8186, or 6 months since he assumed office as AFP Chief of Staff.
According to Republic Act No. 8186 Section 4, the President shall have the power to make appointments during the recess of the Congress, whether voluntary or compulsory, but such appointments shall be effective only until disapproval by the Commission on Appointments or until the next adjournment of Congress.
Guerrero, who is a graduate of Philippine Military Academy Class of 1984 replaced Philippine Army General Eduardo Año, who has reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 and is set to retire before December 2017.
[READ: CA confirms Guerrero as new AFP Chief]
Along with Guerrero, Commission on Appointments (CA) also confirmed the ad interim appointments of 40 other military officers including Army chief Lieutenant General Rolando Joselito Bautista, Northern Luzon Command chief Lieutenant General Emmanuel Salamat, and Eastern Mindanao Command Lieutenant General Benjamin Madrigal.