Philippines’ Duterte Names Army Chief as Next Military Head

(Bloomberg) -- Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, the commanding general of the Philippine Army, will be the next chief of the nation’s armed forces, President Rodrigo Duterte’s office said Wednesday.

“We are confident that General Sobejana will continue to modernize our military and undertake reform initiatives to make the Armed Forces truly professional in its mandate as the protector of the people and the state,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

Sobejana will replace General Gilbert Gapay, who is retiring next month. The new military chief’s appointment comes at a time when soldiers are expected to help secure and store coronavirus vaccines that may start arriving in the Philippines next month.

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