Abu Sayyaf hunter, peace advocate named new AFP chief

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday named Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez of the Western Mindanao Command as the new chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the second significant change the chief executive announced to his security officials today.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said that the start of Galvez's term of office and that of Director Oscar Albayalde as Philippine National Police chief, the president's other major security appointment, would be on April 14.

“The president just said that please announce that it is Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez as the next AFP chief of staff,” Roque said in a press conference in the Palace.

Galvez is the chief of the Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command, the area command that covers Marawi City, the scene of intense five-month fighting between government forces and Islamic State-inspired Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists last year.

He is also an Army Scout Ranger officer and a veteran of operations against the Abu Sayyaf. He is the overall commander of the military’s anti-terrorism campaign against militants in Marawi and the rest of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Westmincom told Philstar.com that is has yet to issue an official statement on the appointment.

Galvez will replace Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero as military chief, whose term of office was supposed to end in December but was extended by four more months.

Galvez and Guerrero were the top two contenders to replace AFP chief Eduardo Año when he retired last year.

The president eventually opted for Guerrero, who was then the military commander in charge of Duterte's hometown of Davao City and was the more senior officer.

Under Galvez's command, several top commanders of the Abu Sayyaf group were captured, the most recent of which was militant leader Nhurhassan Jamiri, who was wanted for bombings and kidnappings in several towns and cities in Mindanao.

'Soft-hand approach'

Despite his image as an Abu Sayyaf hunter, Galvez also espouses a “soft-hand approach” in dealing with militants.

He said that killing a terrorist might result in three or four relatives taking up arms for themselves.

“If you will be able to reform one hardcore terrorist, all of his followers and his relatives will be reformed also,” Galvez said, adding that this was the best way to break the chain of violence committed by the Abu Sayyaf group.

Galvez, while commander of the 6th Infantry Division, was also instrumental in the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which signed a peace deal with the government in 2014.

The announcement of Galvez as the new military chief capped a day of whirlwind announcements of resignation and appointments.

Duterte announced that he had already accepted the resignation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and appointed Menardo Guevarra as his replacement.

The president also announced that National Capital Region Police Office Director Albayalde would replace Director General Ronald Dela Rosa as the Philippine National Police head.