AFP has new mouthpiece

BRIG. GEN. Domingo Tutaan has been designated the new spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), replacing Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. who had held the post since 2010.

Tutaan, former chief of the AFP Human Rights Office, will remain as head of the military’s Office of the Internal Auditor.

Burgos, who has been named commander of the Philippine Army’s Civil Military Operations Group, will also relinquish his post as chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office to Maj. Ramon Zagala.

“I feel so indebted to the people I’ve worked with, specifically to Team Public Affairs of the AFP and to the media, particularly to the members of the Defense Press Corps, who were instrumental in conveying our messages to the public,” Burgos said in a statement.

Tutaan vowed transparency in the handling of the financial resources of the AFP, which had been rocked in the past by corruption scandals involving senior military officers.

“The judicious and prudent use of resources, most especially of our funds, must be the primordial consideration in all our undertakings,” Tutaan said.

“Under my stewardship, the office shall be proactive in setting and implementing our agenda in order not to simply react to situations. We will aspire without compromise to have transparency in all our actions,” he added.