DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said there still no
decision on who will succeed Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano as head of the
75,000-strong Army when he takes over as AFP chief May 9 upon the retirement of
Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.
In announcing Esperon's three-month term extension to sustain
momentum in the fight against the New People's Army, Mala-cañang also announced
in January that Yano will be the next AFP chief after Esperon.
Teodoro said the Board of Generals has yet to deliberate or
recommend who will succeed Yano. The BoG is chaired by the AFP chief and has the
AFP vice chief, deputy chief and the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy as
members. "The BOG recommends and I transmit the same to the President," he said,
declining to speculate on the chances of Yano's batch-mates in the Philippine
Military Academy Class 1976 of being recommended.
An Army official who spoke on condition of anonymity,
however, said they believe the next Army chief will be chosen from Northern
Luzon chief Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang and Central Command chief Lt. Gen. Victor
Ibrado, both of Class '76; and Eastern Mindanao command chief Lt. Gen. Cardoso
Luna of PMA Class '75.
"It's between the three unified area commanders," the Army
official said.
Of the three, Luna - a former Constabulary officer - is the most senior,
having been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general ahead of Maclang and
Ibrado. Ibrado is the most junior. - Victor Reyes
