CA confirms ad interim appointments of 5 AFP officers, 85 DFA execs in special session

The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of five Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers and 85 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials after Congress convened a special session.

Four generals and a flag officer faced the committee for their appointments, which were postponed following the legislative impasse at the Senate last June 1.

“The officers whose appointments are before the committee today find themselves in this situation through no fault of their own, but rather as a consequence of circumstances beyond their control,” noted Butuan Rep. Jose Aquino II, chairperson of the CA Committee on National Defense.

“Having satisfied all the requirements prescribed under the rules, they are deserving of the commission’s timely consideration of their appointments,” he added.

However, Senator Rodante Marcoleta questioned whether the five bypassed AFP officers could still be promoted, given they had less than a year of active service remaining.

“...Section 1 of RA 11939, the last paragraph says that to be eligible for appointment or promotion to the grade of Brigadier General or Commodore or higher…the officer must have at least one year remaining of active service before compulsory retirement,” he noted.

But Senator Panfilo Lacson argued that the AFP officer’s ad interim appointments were simply resubmissions of the appointments they had already received prior to the first regular session's resumption on May 25, 2026.

“Since this is a special session, it is a continuation of the regular session. Therefore, hindi pa po sila pasok doon sa one-year ban. Kasi hindi naman po nila kasalanan na nagkagulo-gulo kami dito sa Senado at hindi na take up yung kanilang confirmation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Marikina Rep. Marcy Teodoro echoed Lacson’s explanation.

“Meron po tayong kaso, Matibag vs. Benipayo, GR No. 149036 of 2002, this has something to do in defining what a bypass appointment is….This is not a new session…the appointments remain pending and subject to CA’s action,” he said.

The CA later approved the ad interim appointments of the five AFP officers.

Further, the CA also moved to approve the appointments of the 85 officers, which include chiefs of mission and foreign service officers. Some of them were allowed to not personally appear before the committee due to various reasons such as overseas post, official business, and health reasons. —LDF, GMA News