MANILA, Philippines – Former Philippine military chief Andres Centino is now presidential assistant for “maritime concerns,” Malacañang announced on Friday, September 29.

The Presidential Communications Office announced Centino’s appointment through a post.

Centino was Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief from January 2022 to August 2022, and again from January 2023 to July 2023. Bartolome Baccaro, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first AFP chief, served in between. 

Centino reached the AFP’s mandatory requirement age of 56 in February 2023, but a law that was in place at the time qualified him to serve for three more years. 

Malacanang eventually announced in July 2023 that Romeo Brawner would replace Centino as AFP chief. 

Back then, Malacanang said that Centino would be Marcos’ adviser for the West Philippine Sea. 

The new role would be Centino’s third appointment in the Marcos administration – would-be envoy to India, as AFP chief again, and now presidential adviser.

In justifying the strange decision to put Centino back as AFP chief after already picking a new chief, Marcos said he was fixing a “seniority” problem. Bacarro was a three-star general when he was AFP chief while Centino was the only four-star general in the military.

Marcos also reasoned out concerns that the promotions of lower ranked officials would be delayed because the supposed “seniority” problem.

He would eventually declare as a priority legislation that tweaked a Rodrigo Duterte-era law which implemented fixed terms for key military officers. – Rappler.com