The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches;the Army,the Air Force,and the Navy. The President of the Philippines is the Commander-in-Chief of the AFP and forms military policy with the Department of National Defense,an executive department acting as the principal organ by which military policy is carried out,while the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines serves as the overall commander and the highest-ranking officer in the AFP.
The Medal of Valor is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' highest military honor awarded for a conspicuous deed of personal bravery or self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty that distinguishes the recipient from his comrades. It is defined in the Philippine Army Awards and Decorations reference material FC 1–0062,itself adapted from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Awards and Decorations Handbook,Second Edition published in 1997,as an award for "heroism in combat" and is foremost in the order of precedence of awards and decorations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Rodolfo "Pong" Gaspar Biazon was a Filipino politician and Philippine Marine Corps general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in early 1991 and then served as a Senator from 1992 to 1995 and from 1998 to 2010.
Hermogenes Cendaña Esperon Jr. is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the National Security Adviser in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2016 to 2022. He was the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2006 to 2008 and Commanding General of the Philippine Army from 2005 to 2006 under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. After his retirement from the military,he served in Arroyo's administration as the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and later as the head of the Presidential Management Staff.
Cardozo Manalo Luna is a retired three-star general and the 35th Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Cardozo Luna also served as the commander of two unified commands,Eastern Mindanao Command and Central Command. He served as the Philippine Ambassador to The Hague,Netherlands from 2009 until 2010 He is the current Undersecretary of Department of National Defense.
Alexander Badong Yano is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the 38th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,the highest position in the AFP hierarchy. His Vice Chief of Staff was Lt. Gen. Cardozo M. Luna and his Deputy Chief of Staff was Lt. Gen. Rodrigo F. Maclang. Alexander Yano also served as the commander of the Philippine Army and Southern Luzon Command. He is also the first general born from Mindanao
Delfin N. Bangit was a retired Philippine Army general who served as the 39th Chief of Staff,Armed Forces of the Philippines for four months in 2010. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy.
The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer and the head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP),including all service branches under its command. The position is usually held by a four-star rank of General or Admiral. Its direct equivalent in the US Armed Forces is the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Unlike its US counterpart,which is merely supervisory,the Chief of Staff has complete operational control and is responsible for the overall operations of the AFP.
Rafael Manio Ileto was a Filipino general who served as the 22nd Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) of the Philippines. He also became the Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). He also served as Philippine Ambassador to Turkey,Iran,Cambodia,Thailand,and Laos.
Ricardo A. David,Jr is a former Chief of staff of the Philippine Armed Forces. He was the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command chief. On June 30,2010,President Benigno Aquino III picked David as his AFP chief. On July 2,2010,Ricardo David assumes the command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from Lt Gen. Nestor Z Ochoa. He currently serves as the Undersecretary for Defense Policy of the Department of National Defense.
Jesus Miranda Vargas served as Secretary of National Defense and Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In his later years,he was the Secretary-General of Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) which was based in Bangkok,Thailand.
Emmanuel Trinidad Bautista is a Filipino general who served as the 44th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines as he succeeded Gen. Jessie Dellosa as AFP Chief. He served as the Executive Director of the Cabinet Cluster on Security,Justice,and Peace at the Office of the President,Malacañang. His appointment as Undersecretary at the Office of the President was from 1 September 2014 to 22 June 2020 shortly after retirement from the military service as Chief of Staff,Armed Forces of the Philippines. Concurrently,he headed the National Task Force on the Whole of Nation Initiative and was also the executive Director of the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea. He was succeeded by Gregorio Pio Catapang as AFP chief.
Edilberto Pardo Adan served as executive director with the rank of Undersecretary in the Presidential Commission on the Visiting Forces (PCFV) from 2007 to 2013 after retirement from the military service in 2006. He was a member of the Independent Commission Against Private Armies in 2010. He retired from the Armed Forces of the Philippines in 2006 as Commanding General of the Southern Command (SouthCom) with the rank of Lieutenant General.
Eduardo Manahan Año is a Filipino public official and retired general of the Philippine Army who currently serves as the National Security Adviser under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos since 2023. He previously served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2018 to 2022,the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2016 to 2017,and the Commanding General of the Philippine Army from 2015 to 2016. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines,Año,along with the rest of the Philippine government's Cabinet Secretaries,became part of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases,a task force formed to advise the President on the strategies which would effectively manage the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Ricardo Ramoran Visaya is a retired Philippine Army general serving as the administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) since 2017. He was the 47th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from July to December 2016. He had also previously served as the commanding general of the AFP Southern Luzon Command,assistant division commander of the 6th Infantry Division,and commander of the 4th Infantry Division. He is from the class of 1983 (Matikas) of the Philippine Military Academy.
Glorioso Ventura Miranda is a retired Filipino soldier who is the former Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He served as acting Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from April 22 to June 30,2016. Before becoming the 46th Vice Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces last March 8,2016,he was the Commanding General of the AFP Northern Luzon Command from August 13,2015. He was also the former commander of the 7th Infantry Division. He is part of the Matikas Class of the Philippine Military Academy of 1983.
Cirilito Elola Sobejana is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the 55th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines under President Rodrigo Duterte. He is also known for having been awarded the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medal of Valor in 1995 for his valiant actions in Basilan against the extremist guerrilla group Abu Sayyaf.
Benjamin Rasgo Madrigal Jr. is a retired Philippine Army general serving as the Administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority under the Duterte administration since January 2020. He previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from December 2018 to September 2019. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy "Sandiwa" Class of 1985,along with his predecessor Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr.
Eduardo "Ed" Drueco del Rosario is a Philippine Army veteran and government official who served as the first Secretary of Human Settlements and Urban Development of the Philippines under the Duterte administration,from January 2,2020 to June 30,2022. He previously served as Chairperson of the now-defunct Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council which was abolished and replaced by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development created through Republic Act No. 11201 on February 14,2019. Del Rosario served 37 years in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,retiring as a major general in 2012. His service included tours as commander of the AFP Southern Luzon Command and of the 2nd Infantry Division.
Jose Calingasan Faustino Jr. is a retired Philippine Army general who previously served as Senior Undersecretary and officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense.
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