The Commanding General of the Philippine Army (CGPA) is the overall commander and highest ranking officer commissioned to serve in the

Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...

. The position concurrently holds the three-star rank of

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

. The commanding general is appointed by the

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines (, sometimes referred to as ) is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of the Philippine government and is the commander-in-ch ...

and confirmed by the

Commission on Appointments The Commission on Appointments (, abbreviated as CA) is a constitutional body which confirms or rejects certain political appointments made by the President of the Philippines. The current commission was created by the 1987 Constitution. Whil ...

. In the military chain of command, the CGPA directly reports to the

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (CSAFP) is the highest-ranking military officer (except for the President of the Philippines, who holds the position of Commander-in-Chief equivalent to a five-star general) and the he ...

Powers and Responsibilities

The Commanding General of the Philippine Army serves as the overall head of the Philippine Army, where he/she has full operational control and command of the Army. Unlike its US-based counterpart, the

Chief of Staff of the United States Army The chief of staff of the Army (CSA) is a statutory position in the United States Army held by a general officer. As the highest-ranking officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, the chief is the principal military advisor and a ...

, the CGPA has direct command oversight of the Army's activities, army operations, and administrative functions to all Army units, down from the Army's enlisted personnel, and up to the army's different commands and divisions under its branch. The CGPA directly reports all operations and functions to the

and serves as the primary advisor for the Secretary of National Defense in army related matters, which will also be transmitted to the

, who serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) () are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Philippine Army, Army, the Philippine Air Force, Air Force, and the Philippine Navy, Navy (including the P ...

. The CGPA is also responsible for the army's resource management and strategic planning thrusts aimed at ensuring that the army can respond in addressing the command's needs, from programs such as the Army's modernization programs, doctrine development, research & development-related objectives, and addressing the professional and welfare programs of the command. The CGPA is also in managing humanitarian assistance operations in times of calamities and also holds international collaboration efforts to other armies in the region, which fosters both inter-army relations and potential partnerships in future military exercises.

Organization and Term Limit

The CGPA is directly assisted by two deputies, namely the Vice Commander of the Philippine Army, who serves as the CGPA's immediate assistant in implementing the Army's thrusts and operations, and the Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army, also known as the Chief of Army Staff. The Vice Commander also has the power to assist the CGPA in their absence, while the Chief of Staff serves as the overall head of the navy's organizational staff, ensuring that the Army's thrusts is properly implemented and is responsible in managing the army's administrative commands, joint staff commands, and offices. The CGPA is directly appointed by the

, who also has the power to end the fixed term of the CGPA at their pleasure, and needs the consent and approval of the

for briefing and confirmation of their post. The CGPA's fixed-term length lasts two years, under the provisions of Republic Act No. 11939, and can only be extended in times of war and national emergencies with the approval of

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

Officeholders

Captain General of the Revolutionary Army

Commanding General of the Revolutionary Army

Chief of Staff of the Philippine Army

Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines

Commanding General of the Philippine Army

References

External links

Lineage of the Philippine Army Commanding Generals
{{DEFAULTSORT:Commanding General Of The Philippine Army Philippine Army generals Armed Forces of the Philippines Military history of the Philippines

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

Filipino military leaders