MANILA, Philippines — Newly-appointed Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. on Tuesday urged senior officials in the department to "stay in place" as reports of resignations among its top brass came out following the departure of Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., who was officer-in-charge of the department.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Department of National Defense said Galvez "enjoined all members of the DND’s executive committee and heads of the DND bureaus to stay in place during a transition briefing" in Camp Aguinaldo.
Related Stories
"We will sustain the gains of the past secretaries and will also further enhance the capability of our national defense," Galvez was quoted in the DND statement as saying to the executive committee.
Defense spokesperson Arsenio Andolong told reporters on Tuesday that a number of "upper-level" defense officials also filed their courtesy resignations following Faustino’s. He explained the officials' assignments were coterminous with the OIC.
The DND said Galvez also emphasized the importance of employee morale in the DND and professionalism in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Before this, the DND said Galvez met in private with Faustino, who briefed him on the different accomplishments of the department and gave recommendations to ensure continuity.
Faustino said in a statement that he resigned after he belatedly found out of changes in leadership within the Armed Forces of the Philippines, which is under the defense department.
He said he only learned from news reports and social media posts of Gen. Andres Centino taking his oath at Malacañang over the weekend as he resumed his post as chief of the AFP.
But Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Faustino knew of the reappointment of Centino all along, noting that Centino is the only four-star general in the military.
Malacañang has yet to explain the sudden change of leadership at the AFP bus stressed in a statement on Tuesday that picking the armed forces chief is the president's prerogative. — Xave Gregorio with a report from Kaycee Valmonte