MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday hit back at former acting defense secretary Jose Faustino, Jr. for his comments about the appointment of a new chief-of-staff in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, saying he knew about the developments contrary to his claims.

Faustino earlier in the day said he resigned from his post after learning about the reappointment of Gen. Andres Centino as the new AFP chief on Friday, noting that he only learned about this in news and social media.

The AFP is an attached agency under the Department of National Defense (DND).

But in a statement, Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr., as the country's commander-in-chief, "has the sole prerogative to appoint the AFP Chief of Staff."

• Faustino resigns as Defense chief, to be replaced by Galvez

"According to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, former DND OIC Jose Faustino Jr. knew of the developments with regard the appointment of Gen. Andres Centino, who is the only 4-star general in the AFP," said Garafil.

Centino had said that shortly after learning about the news, he offered his resignation to Marcos. Faustino's resignation was only confirmed by the Palace on Monday, following the announcement of Carlito Galvez as the new defense chief.

• Marcos appoints Centino as new AFP chief

In his statement, he also described in length how the armed forces is a well-respected institution and its personnel a disciplined one.

This was why he "cannot allow the AFP’s reputation to be tarnished, maligned, or politicized."

Defense spokesperson Director Arsenio Andolong earlier in the day said about 7 to 9 senior officials of his agency resigned following the exit of their former officer-in-charge.

Despite this, he said operations in his agency remain normal.

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