Another ranking AFP official opts to retire early

Armed Forces vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Nestor Ochoa will be the next ranking military official to avail of early retirement after former chief of staff Gen. Delfin Bangit and Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) commander Maj. Gen. Romeo Prestoza. "He (Ochoa) has submitted his papers for early retirement but the details of this will still depend [on the President's approval]," said Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta on Tuesday. Ochoa briefly took over as military chief last June 22 after Bangit retired due to pressure from then incoming administration of President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who had publicly rejected the idea of a Bangit-led military. If he did not avail of the early retirement program, Bangit would have served as AFP chief until July next year, when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56. Ochoa led the military for 10 days before relinquishing the post to Northern Luzon Command commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo David, who was appointed by President Aquino. Personal choices Asked of the reason of Ochoa's early retirement bid, Mabanta said it was "all according to their own personal choices." The military spokesman said the Board of Generals is already deliberating on who will be Ochoa's replacement, but word inside Camp Aguinaldo, the main headquarters of the Philippine military, has it that he will be replaced by current Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu. Mabanta said Mapagu replacing Ochoa was a "possibility" but quickly added that they must wait for an official order first. "There is no certainty until all of these orders are approved by the President," he said. Ochoa, who will turn 56 in December, is the latest military official in recent weeks to opt to bow out of military service before reaching their retirement age. ISAFP chief wants out, too Aside from Bangit and even before Ochoa, Prestoza has likewise submitted his application to retire early. Mabanta, however, said Prestoza's early retirement application has yet to be approved. "Hindi pa lumalabas, nasa ISAFP palang yung kanyang papers (His papers are still with us)," he said. Prestoza, former chief of security of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, took over the helm of the ISAFP in mid-2008. Reports quoted him as saying that he opted to retire early because he already got hints he was going to be relieved from his post. During his first ever press conference after assuming the military chief post last Friday, David admitted that the series of retirements in the AFP was "inevitable" and that it would "affect many." "[However] other officers are assured, for sure there will be military officers who will go up the military ladder," David added, when asked what the effect of the shake-up would be. — LBG/KBK, GMANews.TV