CA confirms appointment of four envoys, AFP Chief of Staff, 40 military officials
The powerful 25-member Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed on Wednesday the appointments of four ambassadors, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and 40 other senior military officials.
The CA also affirmed the appointment of retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza as member of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).
Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, chairman of the CA foreign affairs committee, recommended the confirmation
of the appointments of ambassadors Jocelyn S. Batoon-Garcia, Denis Yap Lepatan, Eduardo Jose A. de Vega and Demetrio Remedios-Tuason after a brief public hearing where no objection was raised against the appointees.
Garcia was designated chief of mission, class I, as Ambassador to Norway, with concurrent jurisdiction over Iceland, Finland and Sweden; Lepatan, chief of mission, class I, as Ambassador to Switzerland with concurrent jurisdiction over Liechtenstein; de Vega, chief of mission, class I, as Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg, the Commission of the European Communities and the Council of the European Union; and Tuason, chief of mission, class I, as Ambassador to the United Mexican States with concurrent jurisdiction over Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guate- mala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, and Cuba.
Garcia, Lepatan and de Vega are career officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) while Tuason, a businessman is a political appointee.
Sen. Loren Legarda, chairwoman of the CA justice and judicial bar council committee, recommended the confirmation of the appointment of Justice Mendoza as JBC member vice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez.
Mendoza’s term at the JBC will end on July 9, 2021.
The CA plenary session was presided over by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, concurrent CA chairman.
Revisit retirement rules Meanwhile, the members of the CA said there is a need to revisit current laws on the retirement of military officials following the confirmation of the appointment of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Rey Leonardo B. Guerrero as a four-star general.
The CA said they would seek to extend the retirement age of those in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 56 to at least 60 years old.
They would undertake committee hearings on proposals that the term of the AFP Chief of Staff should at least be three years, not for a few days after his appointment is confirmed by the CA.
San Juan Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora, CA vice chairman said he and members of the House CA contingent would file a bill to this effect so that government can make use of the experience, wisdom and expertise of the AFP chief of staff.
Senators Lacson and Gregorio B. Honasan II, both graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), joined Zamora’s call for lawmakers to revisit current laws on retirement at the AFP.
Guerrero is retiring on December 17 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56, serving as Chief of Staff for only 10 days.
He was designated AFP Chief of Staff last Oct. 27 and appointed by President Duterte last Nov. 7.
Guerrero graduated magna cum laude of PMA Class ‘84, according to Rep. Rey Loyola, chairman of the CA national defense committee, who recommended Guerrero’s confirmation. The CA also confirmed the appointments of Lt. Generals Emmanuel B Salamat, Rolando Joselito D. Bautista and Benjamin R. Madrigal Jr., five Major Generals, two Rear Admirals, 24 brigadier generals, four commodores, one Navy captain, and one colonel.
Interviewed by Senate reporters, Guerrero said the retirement age of 56 is “too early compared to other countries where the retirement age is 60 years old.”
Guerrero agreed the ideal tenure for an AFP chief of staff should be three years.