Brawner named next AFP chief

By Charles Dantes

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos has named Army chief Lt.General Romeo Brawner as the next chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Outgoing AFP General Andres Centino, on the other hand, will be appointed presidential adviser on the West Philippine Sea.

“Lieutenant General Romeo Brawner will be the next Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and will take the place of General Andres Centino who was re-appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the said

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From A1 of Human Settlements and Urban Development),” the President said in Executive Order No. 34.

Earlier this month, Mr. Marcos reaffirmed his commitment to build one million houses yearly.

One of the main indicators of the increasing number of shelter availability is the spike in the number of new PagIBIG Fund members and increased interest from the people to buy new homes, the President said.

All of these things are indicative, Mr. Marcos said, of the continued take-up of new shelters and that there is a market for real estate in the country.

Under EO No. 34, the DHSUD will be the lead implementing agency of the 4PH. It was likewise tasked to recommend to the President, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the issuance of proclamations declaring public lands as alienable and disposable for housing and human settlement purposes.

National government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities, including GOCCs, as well as LGUs, must conduct an inventory of the lands they own and administer.

The Land Registration Authority was directed to assist these agencies in the preparation of their respective inventories by providing a list of titles registered in the names of said agencies.

A complete list shall be submitted to the DHSUD within 60 days from the issuance of the President’s order.

“Subject to limitations under applicable laws, rules, and regulations, the DHSUD shall acquire ownership and/or administration of the identified lands of concerned agencies, for housing and human settlement purposes, and shall carry out the immediate development of the aforementioned lands,” the EO added.

Based on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, the country’s housing need estimates have accumulated to 6.8 million from 2017 to 2022.

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From A1 the annual airport capacity from 35 million to at least 62 million passengers and enhance air traffic movement and overall passenger experience. post earlier this year,” Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said.

The project is expected to begin in 2024.

Meanwhile, Balisacan said the P267-billion unsolicited offer of the Manila International Airport Consortium (MIAC) was considered closed after the NEDA Board approved a solicited mode for the project.

“Now that the solicited proposal has been approved, we are now saying it’s open for competitive bidding so the unsolicited proposal is de facto already closed,” Balisacan said.

He encouraged those with unsolicited proposals to participate in the bidding.

Calls to rehabilitate NAIA became more urgent after the Jan. 1 incident where nearly 300 flights to and from Manila, with over 56,000 passengers, were either canceled, diverted, or delayed due to a technical glitch.

In May, more than 40 flights to and from Manila were either delayed or canceled due to a power outage that hit the NAIA Terminal 3.

Another project is the Samar Pacific Coastal Road II Project, which will cost about P7.48 billion.

The 15-kilometer project includes the construction of two marine bridges, the Laoang II Bridge and Calomoton Bridge, and improving existing roads between Laong Island and mainland Samar Island.

It is expected to boost the province’s connectivity and economic growth.

The third project to receive approval is the upgrade and expansion of Laguindingan International Airport Project in Misamis Oriental.

Brawner graduated No. 2 in the Philippine Military Academy “Makatao” Class of 1989 and served in the military in various capacities for 34 years now.

He also served as the commandant of PMA and worked as commander of the 4th Infantry “Diamond” Division, supervising the unit’s combat opera- tions that led to the decisive neutralization of Jorge Madlos or “Ka Oris,” the commander of the National Operations Command of the New People’s Army.

“He exemplified the highest levels of excellence in his military schoolings, topping his classes in the Special Forces Operations Course, Intelligence Officer Course and the AFP Comptrollership Course,” Garafil said.

Brawner has acquired three Master’s Degrees: Masters in Information Management from the Ateneo de Manila University; Masters in Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand and from the European School of Management,