Jose Faustino Jr.
General Jose Calingasan Faustino Jr. is a Filipino general officer who served as the 56th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines before his mandatory retirement on 12 November 2021. Prior to his post, he served as the Commander of the Joint Task Force Mindanao, the acting-Commanding General of the Philippine Army, the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command, and the 10th Infantry Division. Early life and education. General Faustino was born on November 12, 1965, at Itogon, Benguet, and grew up his childhood in Malolos, Bulacan. He is the son of a retired Army  Colonel Jose Faustino Sr., and is the only son among 3 siblings. Faustino entered the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1984, before graduating in 1988 as a member of the PMA "Maringal" Class of 1988. After graduating at the PMA, he also entered and participated in various military, leadership and staff courses locally and abroad, such as the Scout Ranger Course, where he ranked top 2 of his class, and serves as a qualified member of the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment and the Special Forces; the Basic Airborne Course; the Intelligence Officer Course; the Human Rights Advocacy Course; the Infantry  Officer Basic and the Advance Infantry Officer Courses, where he graduated as part of the top ten completers of both courses; and the Senior Executive Course on National Security at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) in Camp Aguinaldo. General Faustino also completed the Command and General Staff Course in the Republic of Korea Army College in Yuseong-gu, South Korea, and the United Nations (UN) Integrated Mission Staff Officers Course in Canada. Military Background. General Faustino is a seasoned Mindanao veteran, serving in special forces, infantry, intelligence and staff positions, where he is described as a "silent  yet sharp" officer. He served his junior days as a lieutenant at the 1st Scout Ranger Regiment, and became a company commander as he commanded the 7th Scout Ranger Company in 1992. From then, he served as the Intelligence and Operations Officer of the Task Group Zamba, in the First Scout Ranger Regiment; the Assistant Chief of Staff for Comptrollership, G6 in the Intelligence and Security Group; the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, G2, 10th Infantry Division; the Deputy G2, Philippine Army; the Assistant Chief of Unified Command Staff for Intelligence, U2, NCR Command; and the Assistant Chief of  Staff for Education and Training, G8, Philippine Army. He also served various academic posts in his alma-mater, the PMA, where he was named as the Administration and Tactical Officer of the Headquarters Tactics Group, as the Head of Tactics Group, and as the Commandant of Cadets. He also served as the Commandant of Scout Ranger Training School in Camp Tecson, San Miguel, Bulacan, and as the commander of the 11th Intelligence Service Unit, under the Intelligence and Security Group (now Army Intelligence Regiment). Faustino became a battalion commander as he commanded the 35th Infantry Battalion, under the 101st Infantry  (Three Red Arrows) Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division (currently assigned under the 11th Infantry Division in Sulu) before becoming a brigade commander as he serves as the commander of the 501st Infantry Brigade, under the 5th Infantry Division. General Faustino also served as the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army, and became an infantry division commander, as he was assigned to command the 10th Infantry Division. As the commander of the 10th Infantry Division from 16 December 2018 to 25 January 2020, he launched military operations against the New People's Army (NPA), and dismantled the NPA's  six (6) Pulang Bagani Commands and four (4) Guerilla Fronts within his area's jurisdiction. He was named as the new commander of the AFP Eastern Mindanao Command from 25 January 2020 to 16 February 2021, where he led the area's implementation of the Executive Order 70, where he continued to instigate military operations against the NPA, while aiming to create a nation-building approach against the Communist rebellion in the Philippines in order to achieve long-lasting peace in the country, and promoting community-building programs. On 16 February 2021, he was named as the Commanding General of  the Philippine Army in acting capacity, and replaced then-Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, where he continued his predecessors' programs in modernization, organizational reforms, and the army's programs on nation-building. His tenure as the Acting Commanding General drew flak from senators, such as Senator Panfilo Lacson, as he is said to be "unqualified" for the post due to his short tenure on his post and his upcoming retirement in November 2021. Senator Lacson noted that under Section 4 of the Republic Act No. 8186, which states that the post for being named as the commander of the three service  branches, with the exemption for the AFP Chief, should not be assigned to major posts on the condition that the named officer has less than one year of active service before he reaches his mandatory retirement age of 56. He was replaced by then-commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Major General Andres Centino on 14 May 2021. He was originally named as the Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff on Peace and Development after he was replaced on his post as the Commanding General of the Philippine Army. Nevertheless, on 4 June 2021, Faustino was named as the  first commander of the Joint Task Force Mindanao, a newly created command which unifies the AFP's Western and Eastern Commands and is responsible for the overall oversight of military operations within Mindanao. He spearheaded the creation of the Mindanao Security and Stability Plan, which aims to further boost the peace efforts made throughout the years, while assisting former rebels to normalization, which allows them to participate in society by providing jobs, and livelihood assistance towards regional development. On 31 July 2021, he assumed his post as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, replacing Gen.  Cirilito Sobejana. As the AFP Chief, he proposed the creation of the Center for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (CPCVE), which aims to further assist the AFP's study on extremism and terrorism, and craft measures to prevent their ideologies from spreading throughout the country and the region. He also planned to revive the Center for Self-Reliant Defense Posture, which aims to revive the country's self-reliance programs, while increasing foreign investments through local defense contracts, promote limited dependence on foreign military assistance, and utilizing the country's resources for defense development. Faustino's promotion to the rank  of General was approved by the Commission on Appointments on 15 September 2021. Faustino retired on 12 November 2021, after reaching the mandatory military age of 56, and was replaced by Army Chief Lieutenant General Andres Centino. Awards from military service. Left Side: Right Side: Badges and Other Awards: Personal life. Known by his peers as "Boy", he is married to Joy B. Faustino and they have one daughter. He was adopted by a foster family during his time in Sulu.