Abaya named new AFP chief

Armed Forces Southern Command (Southcom) chief Lt. Gen. Narciso Abaya was named yesterday as the next military chief, replacing Gen. Dionisio Santiago who is retiring on April 2, President Arroyo announced yesterday.

"He has a great war record as a field commander and he has an excellent reputation for integrity, So I think he’s going to be a great, maybe one of the greatest chiefs of staff in our history," she said.

The President particularly noted Abaya’s being a high school valedictorian and the highest ranking Filipino graduate (Class of 1971) of the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York

Abaya, who hails from Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, also topped the engineering board examination after returning from the US.

Mrs. Arroyo expressed her confidence that Abaya would build upon the military’s gains against Abu Sayyaf bandits and other lawless elements.

Abaya, 54, is described to be a seasoned combat officer familiar with ground tactics as he reportedly led a number of military task forces with difficult assignments, such as the rescue of the Sipadan hostages and the rescue of American hostage Jeffrey Schilling in 2001.

The Southcom chief is noted for his extensive experience in dealing with extremist Muslim groups as well as the Abu Sayyaf in Western Mindanao and the communist New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas.

Mrs. Arroyo said it was under Abaya’s watch as Southcom chief that the military was able to achieve its major victory against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels and the Pentagon kidnap gang.

A jubilant Abaya, for his part, expressed his gratitude to his Commander-in-Chief for her trust and confidence in him.

Abaya learned of his appointment while briefing reporters on the escape of Julkipli, one of the three Indonesian hostages abducted by the Abu Sayyaf last year in Jolo, Sulu.

"First, I thank the President our Commander-in-Chief for the trust and confidence in me and most of all the Creator who gave me this chance," Abaya told The STAR.

"I will be a reformist AFP chief," Abaya said promising to work hard for the modernization of the AFP.

"It was really a long way, but all these things are just an inspiration for us to work harder and continue to focus on our job" he said.

The announcement was described as anti-climactic after Mrs. Arroyo announced in February that Abaya would be her choice as the next AFP chief.

Since she took office in January 2001, Mrs. Arroyo has had five AFP chiefs of staff. Abaya would become 32nd chief of staff of the AFP and the sixth under the Arroyo administration.

Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes was Mrs. Arroyo’s first AFP chief, retaining his post even after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 two months after the ouster of President Joseph Estrada.

Mrs. Arroyo subsequently named Reyes as defense secretary succeeding Orlando Mercado, who was the first to resign from the Cabinet.

After Reyes, Gen. Diomedio Villanueva was appointed as AFP chief. When Villanueva retired, Mrs. Arroyo first named him as board director of the Public Estates Authority and later appointed him head of the Philippine Postal Corp.

Santiago, who is scheduled to retire next week, succeeded Gen. Benjamin Defensor who served only for 69 days.

Defensor took over from former Southcom chief Roy Cimatu, who was subsequently appointed special presidential envoy and head of the Middle East Preparedness Team supervising the government’s contingency plans for overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East, particularly in the countries affected by the ongoing war in Iraq. — With Roel Pareño, Mike Frialde, AFP