# Chief of the Air Force (Philippines)

The Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force is the overall commander and senior general of the Philippine Air Force, the aerial warfare branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It is normally held by a three-star rank of Lieutenant General. The holder of the position has operational control and is responsible for overall operations of the service, and directly reports to the Chief of Staff of the armed forces.

## List

The following are the Commanding Generals/Chiefs of the Philippine Air Force since its foundation in 1947, with some generals commanding various units from the Philippine Army Air Corps until it was replaced by the Philippine Air Force in 1947.

### Commanding Generals

| No. | Commanding General (Primary Background) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | President |
| 1 | Colonel Pelagio A. Cruz (Attack) | 9 June 1947 | 16 March 1951 | 3 years, 280 days | Manuel Roxas Elpidio Quirino |
| 2 | Brigadier General Eustacio D. Orobia (Fighter) | 16 March 1951 | 2 June 1952 | 1 year, 78 days | Elpidio Quirino |
| 3 | Brigadier General Benito Nicano R. Ebuen (Infantry, Artillery, and Airbase Commander) | 2 June 1952 | 3 November 1953 | 1 year, 154 days | Elpidio Quirino |
| * | Brigadier General Pelagio A. Cruz (Attack) | 3 November 1953 | 17 December 1956 | 3 years, 44 days | Elpidio Quirino Ramon Magsaysay |
| * | Brigadier General Benito Nicano R. Ebuen (Infantry, Artillery, and Airbase Commander) | 17 December 1956 | 17 March 1957 | 90 days | Ramon Magsaysay |
| 4 | Brigadier General Pedro Q. Molina (Infantry, Bombers, and Tactical Operations) | 17 March 1957 | 17 July 1962 | 5 years, 122 days | Ramon Magsaysay Carlos P. Garcia Diosdado Macapagal |
| 5 | Brigadier General Jonas A. Victoria (Artillery, Airbase Commander and Tactical Operations) | 17 July 1962 | 11 June 1964 | 1 year, 330 days | Diosdado Macapagal |
| 6 | Brigadier General Agusto L. Jurado (Infantry, Logistics, and Tactical Operations) | 11 June 1964 | 1 June 1965 | 355 days | Diosdado Macapagal |
| 7 | Brigadier General Victor H. Dizon (Bombers, Training and Communications) | 1 June 1965 | 29 December 1965 | 211 days | Diosdado Macapagal |
| 8 | Brigadier General Jose B. Ramos (Training and Communications) | 29 December 1965 | 15 August 1967 | 1 year, 229 days | Diosdado Macapagal Ferdinand Marcos |
| 9 | Brigadier General Emmanuel S. Casabar (Infantry, Intelligence, and Fighters) | 15 August 1967 | 27 May 1968 | 286 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 10 | Brigadier General Juan B. Guevara (Intelligence and Communications) | 27 May 1968 | 8 September 1968 | 104 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 11 | Brigadier General Jesus Z. Singson (Field Artillery and Fighters) | 8 September 1968 | 15 January 1972 | 3 years, 129 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 12 | Major General Jose L. Rancudo (Fighters) | 15 January 1972 | 27 March 1976 | 4 years, 72 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 13 | Major General Samuel O. Sarmiento (Training and Fighters) | 27 March 1976 | 1 October 1981 | 5 years, 188 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 14 | Brigadier General Petronio M. Lapeña (Training and Fighters) | 1 October 1981 | 5 April 1982 | 186 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 15 | Major General Vicente M. Piccio, Jr. (Training and Fighters) | 5 April 1982 | 25 February 1986 | 3 years, 326 days | Ferdinand Marcos |
| 16 | Major General Ramon J. Farolan, Jr. (Fighters and Staff) | 25 February 1986 | 8 October 1986 | 195 days | Corazon Aquino |
| 17 | Major General Antonio E. Sotelo (Fighters and Staff) | 8 October 1986 | 6 April 1988 | 1 year, 211 days | Corazon Aquino |
| 18 | Major General Jose L. De Leon, Jr. (Fighters) | 6 April 1988 | 24 February 1990 | 1 year, 324 days | Corazon Aquino |
| 19 | Major General Geraldo C. Protacio (Fighters and Staff) | 24 February 1990 | 19 April 1991 | 1 year, 54 days | Corazon Aquino |
| 20 | Lieutenant General Loven C. Abadia (Fighters and Helicopter Tactical Operations) | 19 April 1991 | 8 August 1992 | 1 year, 111 days | Corazon Aquino Fidel V. Ramos |
| 21 | Lieutenant General Leopoldo S. Acot (Intelligence, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 8 August 1992 | 13 December 1993 | 1 year, 127 days | Fidel V. Ramos |
| 22 | Lieutenant General Nicasio P. Rodriguez, Jr. (Airlifts) | 13 December 1993 | 26 December 1995 | 2 years, 13 days | Fidel V. Ramos |
| 23 | Lieutenant General Arnulfo E. Acedera (Airlifts and Helicopter Tactical Operations) | 26 December 1995 | 29 November 1996 | 339 days | Fidel V. Ramos |
| 24 | Lieutenant General William Hotchkiss III (Fighters) | 29 November 1996 | 8 January 1999 | 2 years, 40 days | Fidel V. Ramos Joseph Estrada |
| 25 | Lieutenant General Willie C. Florendo (Airlifts) | 8 January 1999 | 10 October 2000 | 1 year, 276 days | Joseph Estrada |
| 26 | Lieutenant General Benjamin P. Defensor, Jr. (Attack, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 10 October 2000 | 10 September 2002 | 1 year, 335 days | Joseph Estrada Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 27 | Lieutenant General Nestor R. Santillan (Intelligence, Training and Staff) | 10 September 2002 | 14 May 2004 | 1 year, 237 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| * | Major General Arcadio L. Seron (Officer In Charge) (Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 14 May 2004 | 7 July 2004 | 64 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 28 | Lieutenant General Jose L. Reyes (Attack) | 7 July 2004 | 2 February 2007 | 2 years, 210 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 29 | Lieutenant General Horacio S. Tolentino (Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 2 February 2007 | 4 January 2008 | 336 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 30 | Lieutenant General Pedrito S. Cadungog (Training, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 4 January 2008 | 9 January 2009 | 1 year, 5 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo |
| 31 | Lieutenant General Oscar H. Rabena (Attack, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 9 January 2009 | 9 January 2012 | 3 years, 0 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Benigno Aquino III |
| 32 | Lieutenant General Lauro Catalino G. Dela Cruz (Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 9 January 2012 | 30 April 2014 | 2 years, 111 days | Benigno Aquino III |
| 33 | Lieutenant General Jeffrey F. Delgado (Attack and Staff) | 30 April 2014 | 9 March 2016 | 1 year, 314 days | Benigno Aquino III |
| 34 | Lieutenant General Edgar R. Fallorina (Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 9 March 2016 | 24 October 2017 | 1 year, 229 days | Benigno Aquino III Rodrigo Duterte |
| 35 | Lieutenant General Galileo Gerard R. Kintanar, Jr. (Attack, Training and Staff) | 24 October 2017 | 21 December 2018 | 1 year, 58 days | Rodrigo Duterte |
| 36 | Lieutenant General Rozzano D. Briguez (Helicopter Tactical Operations, Training and Staff) | 21 December 2018 | 16 January 2020 | 1 year, 26 days | Rodrigo Duterte |
| 37 | Lieutenant General Allen T. Paredes (Attack, Logistics and Staff) | 16 January 2020 | 7 December 2021 | 1 year, 325 days | Rodrigo Duterte |
| 38 | Lieutenant General Connor Anthony D. Canlas Sr. (Attack, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 7 December 2021 | 20 December 2022 | 1 year, 13 days | Rodrigo Duterte Bongbong Marcos |
| 39 | Lieutenant General Stephen Parreño (Airlifts, Helicopter Tactical Operations and Staff) | 20 December 2022 | 19 December 2024 | 1 year, 365 days | Bongbong Marcos |
| 40 | Lieutenant General Arthur M. Cordura (Attack, Airbase Commander and Staff) | 20 December 2024 | Incumbent | 38 days | Bongbong Marcos |