Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Philippines)

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is the highest-ranking military officer and the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) including all service branches (Army, Air Force, Navy–Marine Corps, Coast Guard—in Wartime Attached Service) under its command. It is usually held by a four-star rank of General/Admiral and was formerly known as the "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines" until June 2020. Its direct equivalent in the US Armed Forces is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Unlike his US counterpart which is merely supervisory, he has operational control and is responsible for overall operations of the AFP.[4]

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Emblem of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
Flag of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
Incumbent General Gilbert Gapay since August 3, 2020
Reports to	Secretary of National Defense President of the Philippines
Appointer	The President with the consent of the Commission on Appointments
Term length	Mandatory retirement at age 56.[1] Can be extended until 3 years
Constituting instrument	Republic Act No. 8186[2][3]
Formation	March 22, 1897 (Revolutionary) December 21, 1935 (Official)
First holder	Artemio Ricarte (Revolutionary) Jose Delos Reyes (AFP)
Deputy	Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs (Assistant) Chief of the Joint Staff (Administrative and Organizational Duties)
Website	Philippine Armed Forces

The holder of this position is appointed by, as well as directly reports to the President of the Philippines under the Article VII, Section 18 of the 1987 Constitution.[5] He executes the President's commands, tactics, operations, plannings, and strategies, as well as serves as the Immediate Adviser to the Secretary of National Defense. He also prescribes directions to all commands (including the Chief of the Army, the Chief of the Air Force, the Chief of the Navy, and Joint Forces Commanders of Unified Commands).

The Armed Forces of the Philippines were created as a result of the National Defense Act of 1935 (Commonwealth Act No. 1). However, the origin of the organization can be traced back to the establishment of the Philippine Constabulary, armed Filipino forces organized in 1901 by the United States to combat the Philippine Revolutionary Army then led by General Emilio Aguinaldo.

History

The position of the Chief of Staff has been traced from the Commanding General of the Philippine Army, when the Philippine Commonwealth Army (now the Philippine Army) was established as the main army of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. After the defeat of the First Philippine Republic during the Philippine–American War, the United States dissolved the army and relied on its armed forces together with some Filipino troops under the Philippine Constabulary. However, the National Defense Act of 1935 led to take on responsibilities on national defense and pave way for the creation of three major commands (Army, Air Force, Navy). Since the 1960s, the rosters of the Chiefs of Staff is arranged accordingly.[6]

The AFP Chief was assisted by the Vice Chief of Staff of the AFP and The Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFP, both holders of the rank of Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral. The Vice Chief of Staff serves as the assistant of the AFP Chief in their operational duties, they also assists the AFP Chief in their absence, while The Deputy Chief of Staff supervises the organizational staff, overall policy and strategy, and perform other duties assigned by the AFP Chief.

On June 19, 2020, under the DND Order no. 174, the title of Chief of Staff was renamed as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, while the Vice Chief of Staff as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Deputy Chief of Staff as Chief of the Joint Staff.[7]

Officeholders

Chiefs of Staff of the Philippine Revolutionary Army

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Service branch
1		Ricarte, ArtemioCaptain General Artemio Ricarte (1866–1945) [lower-alpha 1]	March 22, 1897	January 22, 1899	1 year, 306 days	Revolutionary Army
2		Luna, AntonioGeneral Antonio Luna (1866–1899) [lower-alpha 2]	January 22, 1899	June 5, 1899 †	134 days	Revolutionary Army
–		Aguinaldo, EmilioGeneral Emilio Aguinaldo (1869–1964) [lower-alpha 3]	June 5, 1899	March 23, 1901	1 year, 291 days	Revolutionary Army

1. Ricarte was elected Captain-General by the Tejeros Convention.
2. Luna was assassinated by General Aguinaldo's men
3. Aguinaldo personally took charge after General Antonio Luna's assassination.

Chiefs of Staff of the AFP

No.	Portrait	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Service branch
1		Reyes, Jose DelosMajor General Jose Delos Reyes	December 21, 1935	May 6, 1936	137 days	Philippine Army
2		Santos, PaulinoMajor General Paulino Santos (1890–1945)	May 6, 1936	December 31, 1938	2 years, 239 days	Philippine Army
3		Valdez, BasilioMajor General Basilio Valdez (1892–1970)	January 1, 1939	November 7, 1945	6 years, 310 days	Philippine Constabulary
4		Jalandoni, RafaelMajor General Rafael Jalandoni	December 21, 1945	December 20, 1948	2 years, 365 days	Philippine Constabulary
5		Castañeda, MarianoMajor General Mariano Castañeda (1892–1970)	December 21, 1948	May 28, 1951	2 years, 158 days	Philippine Constabulary
6		Duque, CalixtoMajor General Calixto Duque	June 2, 1951	December 30, 1953	2 years, 211 days	Philippine Army
7		Vargas, JesusLieutenant General Jesus Vargas	December 30, 1953	December 29, 1956	2 years, 365 days	Philippine Army
8		Arellano, AlfonsoLieutenant General Alfonso Arellano	December 29, 1956	December 31, 1958	2 years, 2 days	Philippine Army
9		Cabal, ManuelLieutenant General Manuel Cabal	January 1, 1959	December 30, 1961	2 years, 363 days	Philippine Constabulary
10		Cruz, Pelagio A.Lieutenant General Pelagio A. Cruz (1912–1986)	December 30, 1961	August 31, 1962	244 days	Philippine Air Force
11		Santos, AlfredoGeneral Alfredo M. Santos (1905–1990)	September 1, 1962	July 12, 1965	2 years, 314 days	Philippine Army
12		Atienza, RigobertoGeneral Rigoberto Atienza	July 13, 1965	January 22, 1966	193 days	Philippine Army
13		Mata, ErnestoGeneral Ernesto Mata (1915–2012)	January 22, 1966	January 21, 1967	364 days	Philippine Army
14		Osias, VictorGeneral Victor Osias	January 21, 1967	August 15, 1967	206 days	Philippine Air Force
15		Velasco, SegundoGeneral Segundo Velasco	August 15, 1967	May 27, 1968	286 days	Philippine Army
16		Yan, Manuel T.General Manuel T. Yan (1920–2008) [lower-alpha 1]	May 28, 1968	January 15, 1972	3 years, 232 days	Philippine Constabulary
17		Espino, RomeoGeneral Romeo Espino [lower-alpha 2]	January 15, 1972	August 15, 1981	9 years, 212 days	Philippine Army
18		Ver, FabianGeneral Fabian Ver (1920–1998) [lower-alpha 3]	August 15, 1981	October 24, 1984	3 years, 70 days	Philippine Constabulary
19		Ramos, FidelGeneral Fidel Ramos (born 1928)	October 24, 1984	December 2, 1985	1 year, 39 days	Philippine Constabulary
(18)		Ver, FabianGeneral Fabian Ver (1920–1998)	December 2, 1985	February 25, 1986	85 days	Philippine Constabulary
(19)		Ramos, FidelGeneral Fidel Ramos (born 1928) [lower-alpha 4]	February 25, 1986	January 23, 1988	1 year, 332 days	Philippine Constabulary
20		de Villa, RenatoGeneral Renato de Villa (born 1935) [lower-alpha 5]	January 25, 1988	January 23, 1991	2 years, 363 days	Philippine Constabulary
21		Biazon, RodolfoGeneral Rodolfo Biazon (born 1935) [lower-alpha 6]	January 24, 1991	April 12, 1991	78 days	Philippine Marine Corps
22		Abadia, LisandroGeneral Lisandro Abadia	April 12, 1991	April 12, 1994	3 years, 0 days	Philippine Army
23		Enrile, ArturoGeneral Arturo Enrile (1940–1998) [lower-alpha 7]	April 15, 1994	November 28, 1996	227 days	Philippine Army
24		Acedera, ArnulfoGeneral Arnulfo G. Acedera Jr. (born 1941)	November 28, 1996	December 18, 1997	1 year, 20 days	Philippine Air Force
26		Mariano, ClementeGeneral Clemente Mariano	December 18, 1997	June 30, 1998	194 days	Philippine Army
27		Nazareno, JoselinoGeneral Joselino Nazareno [lower-alpha 8]	July 1, 1998	July 8, 1999	1 year, 7 days	Philippine Army
28		Reyes, AngeloGeneral Angelo Reyes (1945–2011) [lower-alpha 9]	July 8, 1999	March 17, 2001	1 year, 252 days	Philippine Army
29		Villanueva, DiomedioGeneral Diomedio Villanueva	March 17, 2001	May 18, 2002	1 year, 62 days	Philippine Army
30		Cimatu, RoyGeneral Roy Cimatu (born 1946) [lower-alpha 10]	May 18, 2002	September 10, 2002	115 days	Philippine Army
31		Defensor, Benjamin Jr.General Benjamin Defensor Jr.	September 10, 2002	November 28, 2002	79 days	Philippine Air Force
32		Santiago, DionisioGeneral Dionisio Santiago [lower-alpha 11]	November 28, 2002	April 8, 2003	131 days	Philippine Army
34		Abaya, NarcisoGeneral Narciso Abaya	April 8, 2003	October 29, 2004	1 year, 204 days	Philippine Army
35		Abu, EfrenGeneral Efren Abu	October 29, 2004	August 15, 2005	290 days	Philippine Army
36		Senga, GenerosoGeneral Generoso Senga	August 15, 2005	July 22, 2006	341 days	Philippine Army
37		Esperon, Hermogenes Jr.General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (born 1952) [lower-alpha 12]	July 22, 2006	May 12, 2008	1 year, 295 days	Philippine Army
38		Yano, AlexanderGeneral Alexander Yano [lower-alpha 13]	May 12, 2008	May 1, 2009	354 days	Philippine Army
39		Ibrado, VictorGeneral Victor Ibrado	May 1, 2009	March 10, 2010	313 days	Philippine Army
40		Bangit, DelfinGeneral Delfin N. Bangit (1955–2013)	March 10, 2010	June 22, 2010	104 days	Philippine Army
–		Ochoa, NestorLieutenant General Nestor Ochoa Acting	June 22, 2010	June 30, 2010	8 days	Philippine Army
41		David, Ricardo Jr.General Ricardo David (born 1955) [lower-alpha 14]	July 2, 2010	March 7, 2011	248 days	Philippine Army
42		Oban, Eduardo Jr.General Eduardo Oban Jr. (born 1955)	March 7, 2011	December 12, 2011	280 days	Philippine Air Force
43		Dellosa, JessieGeneral Jessie Dellosa (born 1957)	December 12, 2011	January 20, 2013	1 year, 39 days	Philippine Army
44		Bautista, EmmanuelGeneral Emmanuel T. Bautista (born 1958)	January 20, 2013	July 18, 2014	1 year, 179 days	Philippine Army
45		Catapang, Gregorio PioGeneral Gregorio Pio Catapang (born 1959) [lower-alpha 15]	July 18, 2014	July 10, 2015	357 days	Philippine Army
46		Catapang, Gregorio PioGeneral Hernando Delfin Carmelo A. Iriberri (born 1960) [8]	July 10, 2015	April 22, 2016	287 days	Philippine Army
–		Miranda, GloriosoLieutenant General Glorioso Miranda (born 1961) Acting	April 22, 2016	June 30, 2016	69 days	Philippine Army
47		Visaya, RicardoGeneral Ricardo Visaya (born 1960) [lower-alpha 16]	July 1, 2016	December 7, 2016	159 days	Philippine Army
48		Año, EduardoGeneral Eduardo Año (born 1961) [lower-alpha 17]	December 7, 2016	October 26, 2017	323 days	Philippine Army
49		Guerrero, Rey LeonardoGeneral Rey Leonardo Guerrero (born 1961) [lower-alpha 18]	October 26, 2017	April 18, 2018[10]	174 days	Philippine Army
50		Galvez, Carlito, Jr.General Carlito Galvez Jr. (born 1962) [lower-alpha 19]	April 18, 2018	December 11, 2018	237 days	Philippine Army
51		Madrigal, Benjamin, Jr.General Benjamin Madrigal Jr. (born 1963) [lower-alpha 20]	December 11, 2018	September 24, 2019	287 days	Philippine Army
52		Clement, NoelGeneral Noel Clement (born 1964)	September 24, 2019	January 4, 2020	102 days	Philippine Army
53		Santos, FelimonGeneral Felimon Santos Jr. (born 1964)	January 4, 2020	August 3, 2020	212 days	Philippine Army
54		Gapay, GilbertGeneral Gilbert Gapay (born 1965)	August 3, 2020	Incumbent	13 days	Philippine Army

See also

• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Jordan)
• Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (Pakistan)
• Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (United States)

Notes

1. Yan served as the youngest chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines at the age of 48. Prior to that, he was the chief of the Philippine Constabulary. He currently holds the record for longest continuous government service from 1937– 2001 or 64 years of service.
2. Espino served as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army before appointed to become the top military man. Espino is the longest-serving Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for nine years, especially during the martial law regime. A second product of the ROTC. During his term, he was fair in administering the military, unlike his successor, General Fabian Ver.
3. Ver was considered a loyalist and the second most powerful man in the country next to President Ferdinand Marcos in the later years of his authoritarian regime, replacing then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile, who held the status since 1972 when Marcos named him as martial law administrator upon the imposition of martial law. Ver, in fact, was the most powerful military officer at that time for, aside from being the top military man, he was also the commander of the Presidential Security Command and the director-general of NISA, the Marcos regime's secret police. The third military officer appointed as chief of staff that came from ROTC. During his term, he was known for his favoritism especially in the promotion of officers.
4. Ramos then, before becoming the chief of the now defunct Philippine Constabulary in 1972, he was the commander of Philippine Army's 3rd Division in Cebu. On the 1980s he was promoted into vice-chief of staff with the rank of lieutenant general but remained as PC chief. After the EDSA revolt that ousted Marcos his cousin from power, he became the AFP chief. Later after retiring as AFP chief of staff during the term of President Corazon C. Aquino served as Secretary of National Defense and was elected the 12th President of the Republic of the Philippines in 1992 and served until 1998. He is the 2nd Army General who became the President of the Republic after Gen. Aguinaldo.
5. Prior to becoming chief of staff, in 1986, de Villa was named to be the chief of the Philippine Constabulary (now defunct), then an AFP major service acting as the country's police force while he was also named to be AFP vice-chief of staff with the rank of three-star general. Upon retirement, de Villa served as Secretary of National Defense when he retired in 1991 and ran for president but lost to Joseph Estrada and Executive Secretary under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
6. Biazon served in the Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives after his retirement as AFP chief of staff in 1991. He is the first and only Chief of Staff from the PMC. Prior to that, he served as the commander of the AFP NCR Defense Command in 1988 and Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps in 1987. He had also served as the superintendent of the Philippine Military Academy in 1986.
7. Enrile later served as Secretary of the DOTC under President Fidel Ramos.
8. Later served as Ambassador to Pakistan.
9. Reyes later served as Secretary of National Defense, Secretary of DILG, Secretary of DENR, and Secretary of DOE under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
10. Cimatu later served as Special Envoy to the Middle East. Cimatu served as the Secretary of the DENR under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
11. Later served as the director-general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
12. Esperon later served as Presidential Adviser on Peace Process under President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Esperon served as National Security Adviser under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
13. Yano later served as our country's Ambassador to Brunei.
14. David later served as Bureau of Immigration Commissioner under President Benigno Aquino III.
15. Later served as Bases Conversion Development Agency Board Member.
16. Later served as the Administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.[9]
17. Later served as the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte[8]
18. Later served as the Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and later as Commissioner of the Bureau of Customs under President Rodrigo Roa Duterte
19. Later served as the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process
20. Madrigal later served as a member of the governing board of the Philippine Coconut Authority.

References

1. "Gen. Glorioso Miranda named as acting AFP chief". CNN Philippines. April 22, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
2. Macas, Trisha (December 7, 2017). "Duterte extends AFP chief Guerrero's term". GMA News Online. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
3. "REPUBLIC ACT NO. 8186". Chan Robles. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
4. "MaxDefense received confirmation that AFP has deferred the use of the new designation names, President has not yet approved the use of these". July 26, 2020.
5. "CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES – ARTICLE VII".
6. "Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines". Official Gazette.
7. Mangosing, Frances (July 13, 2020). "PH military adopting new titles: Chief of staff now Joint Chiefs Chair". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
8. "Rebel hunter Año is new AFP chief". Rappler. December 7, 2016. Retrieved December 7, 2016.
9. "Duterte leads AFP change of command rites". Sun.Star Manila. July 1, 2016. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
10. "Hello, goodbye, General Guerrero". Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.

External links

• Reveille: AFP chiefs of staff through the years, Ramon J. Farolan, Philippine Daily Inquirer, January 10, 2010