RP appoints Senga as new military chief

RP appoints Senga as new military chief

PHILIPPINES: Generoso Senga, a general who commanded troops
fighting Moro rebels in the troubled southern Philippines, took
over on Monday as the military's eighth chief of staff in less
than five years.

The Philippines is a staunch ally of Washington in the war on
terror but its armed forces are poorly equipped, undermined by
corruption and riven with discontent that has spawned more than a
dozen attempted coups in the last two decades.

Senga, speaking at the ceremony marking his appointment, vowed
to push through with efforts to reorganize and streamline the
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

"The AFP's transformation at this point is not so much the
modernization of equipment and arms to match those of more
advanced countries. We cannot afford it anyway," he said.

"The transformation that we need today is in changing the way
we, soldiers and leaders, think about the challenges and
opportunities presented to us by the program for reform." --
Reuters