Lt. Gen. Noel Clement, erstwhile commander of the Armed Forces Central Command based in Cebu, will officially take over the helm of the Armed Forces today.
President Duterte, commander-in-chief, will lead the change of command and retirement ceremony between Clement and outgoing AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal Jr. around 4:30 p.m. in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
A testimonial review in Madrigal’s honor will also be held.
Clement is expected to be given the rank of four-star general in the coming weeks. He is the 52nd AFP chief of staff and the sixth under the Duterte administration.
Clement will serve for barely four months, as he is set to reach 56-years-old, the mandatory retirement age in the military, on Jan. 5, 2020.
He vowed to focus on enjoining all sectors of society in a massive counter-insurgency campaign to help the President realize his vision of ridding insurgency problems before his term ends in 2022.
Madrigal thanked the Armed Forces general headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in his last flag-raising ceremony yesterday.
Madrigal will cap over 38 years of military service.
“To all of you, our personnel, the very heart of our institution, I will always cherish the dedication, cooperation, and professionalism you have showed during my time at the helm of the AFP. You’ve made my work easier and more fulfilling and for that, I thank you all,” Madrigal said. (Martin Sadongdong)
