MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has named a new Presidential Security Group (PSG) chief after designating his first PSG commander, Brigadier General Ramon “Demy” Zagala, to head the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) civil relations group.

Based on papers from Malacañang that were approved on October 16, Brigadier General Jesus Nelson Morales – deputy commander of the Philippine Air Force Air Logistics Command – will be the new commander of the group tasked to protect Marcos and his family.

Zagala confirmed the new orders to Rappler and said he has yet to assume command of the CRS. A change of command will be scheduled next week, he added.

The Department of National Defense, AFP, and the AFP Board of Generals had recommended to Marcos Zagala’s and Morales’ new posts, along with several other military appointments that the President approved.

Malacañang has yet to release the full list of new Presidential appointees in the AFP but confirmed the new positions of Morales and Zagala.

The CRS post is a two-star rank, meaning Zagala can be promoted to Major General once he assumes his new post. 

Zagala as PSG chief, top military aide

As PSG commander and the President’s senior military assistant, Zagala had been a constant in Marcos’ major engagements, both here and abroad. He is almost always part of Marcos’ delegation when he visits other countries, both for bilateral visits or for regional and international meets, owing to the nature of his job.

It was through Zagala that First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos denied rumors of meddling in presidential appointments. The First Lady’s statement was released amid talk of a tug-of-war over the top intelligence post in the AFP.

As the new chief of the Civil Relations Service, Zagala will have oversight of the military’s engagement efforts with the public.

Zagala’s ties to the Marcoses run deep. His father, retired military general Rafael Zagala, was army chief from 1972 to 1975 during the dictatorship of the President’s father and namesake, Ferdinand E. Marcos.

Zagala was born in a military camp in Tarlac on August 6, 1969, a few years before Marcos Sr. placed the entire Philippines under Martial Law. The third-generation military general studied at La Salle Greenhills for his primary and secondary education before earning a political science degree at the De La Salle University-Manila in 1990.

He joined the AFP in 1994 through the Officer Candidate School and was First Captain of his class. He has been deployed to several key areas in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.

Prior to serving as PSG chief and Marcos’ top military aide, Zagala was the AFP spokesperson. Zagala had also served as Army spokesperson and was the aide-de-camp of then-president Joseph Estrada. – Rappler.com