MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte, the military’s commander-in-chief, on Tuesday, December 7, appointed Major General Romeo Brawner Jr. as the new commanding general of the Philippine Army. 

Brawner replaced Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Lieutenant General Andres Centino, who concurrently served as the Army chief. The new Army chief’s appointment is effective December 7, based on the appointment letter signed by Duterte. 

Brawner’s appointment came more than a month after troops under his command, the 4th infantry division, killed communist leader Jorge “Ka Oris” Madlos, who was said to be the highest ranking National Democratic Front  (NDF) official in Mindanao. According to the military, Madlos and his companion were killed in a clash with soldiers in Bukidnon in October this year – a claim disputed by his comrades who insisted he was ambushed. 

Prior to his stint as 4th ID commander, Brawner served as the military’s deputy chief of staff for financial management and as commandant of cadets of the Philippine Military Academy.  Brawner was also a Marawi siege veteran, serving as the spokesperson and deputy commander of the military task force Ranao in 2017.

Brawner, a native of Baguio City, also served as the commander of the 103rd Brigade in Mindanao and served as Army spokesperson. He also once served as the chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office. 

The new Army commanding general is the 8th Army chief in Duterte’s five years as commander-in-chief.  

He belongs to the Philippine Military Academy Makatao Class of 1989. The Philippine Army is the largest service under the AFP with over 100,000 personnel. The other services are the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Air Force. – Rappler.com