Duterte appoints Galvez as new OPAPP chief

President Duterte has named outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. as the next head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP), Malacañang announced on Wednesday.

Galvez, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1985, is scheduled to retire from the military service on December 12, 2018.

He will take over the post vacated by erstwhile OPAPP chief Sec. Jesus Dureza.

"The President announced his intention to appoint General Carlito Galvez, Jr. to the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process,” Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

The imminent appointment of Galvez was announced during a Cabinet meeting convened by the President in Malacañang last Tuesday.

Even prior to the resignation of Dureza, Galvez has reportedly offered his services to work at the OPAPP after his retirement.

He has expressed support for the government's peace initiatives, including the efforts to end the conflict with the communist rebel group.

Dureza, a former classmate of Duterte, quit his post last week as part of command responsibility after his two subordinates were implicated in alleged corruption.

President Duterte has lauded Dureza for showing delicadeza when he tendered his resignation. (Genalyn Kabiling)