Arroyo names Tolentino as new Air Force chief

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday named Major Gen. Horacio Tolentino as the new commanding general of the Philippine Air Force (PAF), dzBB radio said.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita made the announcement Wednesday during the Vin D' Honneur at Malacañang Palace. Tolentino, commanding general of the PAF Tactical Operations Command (TOC), will replace the retiring Lieutenant Gen. Jose Reyes who will retire on February 3. Since Reyes' mandatory retirement age of 56 falls on a Saturday, Tolentino will formally assume his new post on Friday during turnover rites at the PAF headquarters in Villamor Air Base, Pasay City. Sought for comment, Tolentino said he learned of the appointment when President Arroyo arrived Sunday at the Villamor Air Base from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "The President congratulated me that she is designating me [as Air Force chief]," said Tolentino, adding that he opted to keep the news to himself until a formal announcement was made. Prior to his stint at the Lapu-Lapu City-based TOC, Tolentino served as the military's deputy chief of staff for personnel. He is a product of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1974, which now boasts of alumni in the topmost positions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Tolentino's classmates include no less than AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr, Army chief Lieutenant Gen. Romeo Tolentino and Navy chief Vice Admiral Rogelio Calunsag. This is a rare situation wherein the military chief and the heads of the major services are graduates of the same PMA class. - GMANews.TV