Philippine military assures ‘no vacuum’ over top officer’s retirement

Senior Philippine officers from the armed forces have emphasised continuity among the military leadership, with the expected retirement of chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jnr coming at a sensitive moment for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr.

Whoever Marcos appoints to replace Brawner has to ensure that the armed forces can focus on combating external threats and insulate themselves from domestic political turmoil, according to military officers.

“Even if there is a change of command and positions, there will be no leadership vacuum,” Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla, the spokeswoman for the Philippine military, told This Week in Asia.

Padilla pointed out that the military would always have an officer in charge even if a particular senior post was vacant. “There will always be continuity of effort.”

Brawner, who is restricted by law to serve a maximum of three years, is set to retire on Tuesday.