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Noynoy on AFP chief Bangit: He must go


(Updated 5:34 p.m.) It's definite: Gen. Delfin Bangit will not be the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under the Aquino administration. At a press conference after his proclamation, President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III — who will become the military's commander-in-chief on June 30 — explicitly said that Bangit "will not be the chief of staff." Bangit, on the other hand, would respect Aquino's decision, according to Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos, a military spokesman. "As a professional soldier, he (Bangit) will obey and follow orders. In the meantime he would just continue working and serving the Armed Forces. We will just follow orders," Burgos said. Bangit, who was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments (CA), earlier this week said he would not resign as AFP chief and hit at alleged attempts to politicize the military. At a press conference held Monday, Bangit insisted that he could not abandon his duties, insisting that he serves at the pleasure of the commander-in-chief, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy’s class of 1978, Bangit is perceived to be close to the President, who is an honorary member of the same class. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, ex-officio chair of CA, earlier said Bangit would have to relinquish his post after the commission adjourned last Friday without confirming his appointment. If ever, Bangit will be the first military chief of staff in recent history who will be removed from the position by a new president. Gen. Lisandro Abadia, who was appointed by the late President Corazon Aquino a year before the 1992 elections, was able to complete his term under President Fidel Ramos who, meanwhile, chose to extend the term of his last chief of staff, Gen. Clemente Mariano, to four months to ensure a smooth transition for his successor, Joseph Estrada. Estrada, however, was ousted with the help of his own chief of staff then, Gen. Angelo Reyes, whom President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo retained for a couple of months until his retirement. - RJAB Jr/KBK, GMANews.TV
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