Philippines Army Chief named Secretary of Interior, Local Government

Manila May 10 (IANS) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday named the country s Armed Forces Chief as the next Secretary of Interior and Local Government days after choosing another military man as the Environment Secretary.

Eduardo Año 55 will take command of the Department of Interior and Local Government in October after leaving his position as the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Duterte said at a press conference in Manila.

Año will succeed the current acting secretary Catalino Cuy who assumed the role on April 5 after Ismael Sueno was removed from the post over alleged corruption.

The announcement comes just days after Duterte selected former Army Chief Roy Cimatu as Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources to substitute Gina Lopez Efe news reported.

Lopez s appointment was not approved by Congress due to her controversial decision to end more than half of the country s mining activities citing environmental damage.

Año graduated from the Philippines Military Academy in 1983 and since December 2016 has been heading the army and leading a campaign against several rebel organisations that operate in the country.

--IANS
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