AFP chief Ibrado: No need for term extension

Armed Forces chief Victor Ibrado on Tuesday said he is not in favor of extending the term of military chiefs - a statement that could be taken as a hint that he does not want his own tour of duty to be prolonged beyond March 10. “If you’re due for retirement, just retire. It will be good for the organization because it would show that the organization is really strong and that there is no need to impose term extensions as there are qualified officers to take over," Ibrado said in a phone interview. Ibrado will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on March 10, but calls are growing from inside and outside the military organization for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to extend his term until after the May 10 elections. Asked to comment on the rising clamor for his term extension, Ibrado replied: “There are also those who do not want me extended." Ibrado, however, declined to give a categorical statement on whether or not he would accept a term extension, saying he did not want to preempt President Arroyo’s decision. President Arroyo has yet to release her decision on Ibrado's term. - Aie Balagtas See/KBK, GMANews.TV