Solon revives bill prescribing 3-year term for Chief of Staff

A Mindanao solon is hoping that President Rodrigo Duterte would see the wisdom in implementing a 36-month tenure for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff

“The quick turnover of AFP chiefs of staff has become counterproductive – even somewhat disruptive,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, a member of the House committee on national defense and security, said.

With this, Pimentel filed House Bill (HB) No.3402 which seeks a fixed three-year term for the chief of staff.

A similar measure was vetoed by then-president Benigno Aquino III four years ago.

“Over the last 30 years, the AFP has had 28 chiefs of staff who each served an average of only 12 months. In the case of our last 10 chiefs of staff, each actually served only an average of seven months,” Pimentel said.

The AFP chief of staff ’s counterpart in the United States – the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff – enjoys a fixed term of two years, he pointed out.

“If we are to reinforce the military as our protector and defender of the national territory, we should give its chief operating officer a stable stint to carry out programs and projects with some degree of constancy,” Pimentel said.

HB No. 3402 states that when the AFP chief of staff reaches the compulsory military retirement age of 56 before completing the fixed term, his or her statutory forced retirement would be deferred.

The bill affirms the President’s absolute power, as commander-in-chief of all armed forces, to remove the chief of staff “at will” – or at any time before the end of 36 months.

Since the 1986 People Power Revolution, the AFP has had only two chiefs of staff – Generals Renato de Villa and Lisandro Abadia – who were able to serve the maximum three years allowed by the 1987 Constitution.