HINIRANG ni President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. si dating Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Jose Faustino Jr. bilang kalihim ng National Defense.
Ngunit magtatrabaho muna si Faustino bilang undersecretary dahil sa mga teknikalidad, sinabi ng kampo ng papasok na administrasyon nitong Biyernes.
Sa ilalim ng batas, ang mga retiradong opisyal ng militar ay maaari lamang italaga sa isang posisyon sa gobyerno isang taon pagkatapos ng kanilang pagreretiro.
“[Faustino] served as the 56th Chief of Staff of the AFP until his mandatory retirement last Nov. 12, 2021,” sinabi ni incoming Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.
“Faustino’s situation was similar to current Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año’s case, whom President Duterte designated as officer-in-charge but later assumed the Secretary position once the appointment ban lapsed,” dagdag pa niya.
Sa isang pahayag, sinabi ni incumbent Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana na inaasahan niyang makatrabaho ang kampo ni Faustino sa panahon ng transition hanggang Hunyo 30.
“I welcome the selection of former AFP Chief of Staff General Jose C. Faustino Jr. (Ret) as the incoming officer-in-charge of the Department by the President-elect,” ani Lorenzana.
“I am confident that with his years of dedicated service as a military officer, Gen. Faustino will continue the Department’s momentum in our internal security and external defense operations, as well as the modernization of the armed forces and the entire defense organization,” dagdag pa niya.
