Camiling, Santiago swapping positions today

Armed Forces vice chief Lt. Gen. Gregorio Camiling, who was thrice bypassed to be Armed Forces chief of staff, will swap posts with Army chief Lt. Gen. Dionisio Santiago today, officials said yesterday.

Sources from the Armed Forces’ general headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo and the Army headquarters said they are rushing preparations for the turnover ceremonies tentatively scheduled at 3 p.m. today at Fort Bonifacio.

"I’m glad about this development," Camiling said in a telephone interview. His assumption as Army chief today will coincide with his 55th birthday.

Armed Forces spokesman Eduardo Purificacion, however, said Camp Aguinaldo has yet to receive an official order from President Arroyo on Camiling’s appointment to head the 65,000-strong Army.

Military officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the move would spare Camiling the embarrassment of serving as Armed Forces vice chief for the third time.

Camiling, a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class 1969, has long been a contender to the top Armed Forces post since he became commander of the military’s Southern Command in Zamboanga last year.

However, President Arroyo named Camiling’s successor at Southcom and his junior at the PMA, Lt. Gen. Roy Cimatu, to the post last May, to succeed Gen. Diomedio Villanueva.

When Cimatu retired last Sept. 10, former Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Defensor was named to be his successor. Defensor was appointed two days before his retirement.

During the turnover rites, the President extended Defensor’s term to Nov. 18. The other day, she announced that Santiago, a member of PMA Class 1970, would succeed Defensor on Nov. 28 as she is extending the latter’s term for 10 more days.

Camiling is the only military general to lead three different Army divisions in Luzon (7th Infantry Division), the Visayas (3rd ID), and Mindanao (6th ID). He also served as commander of the Light Armor Brigade in 1995 when he became a one-star general.

Camiling is a recipient of more than 50 military awards, including the second highest combat award, the Distinguished Conduct Star. He holds a Masters Degree in Public Administration and took advanced military courses in the United States.