LT. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete on Tuesday assumed command as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), while Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran was named the new commanding general of the Philippine Army following the retirement of Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Nafarrete as the country’s highest-ranking military officer after he served for nearly a year as Philippine Army chief. He will lead the AFP as it continues its modernization program, shifts toward external defense, and strengthens security cooperation with allies amid continuing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
Under Republic Act 12024, the AFP chief of staff serves a fixed three-year term unless sooner removed by the president.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy “Bigkis-Lahi” Class of 1990, Nafarrete brings more than 36 years of military service marked by combat operations, special forces leadership, and senior command assignments.
Born on Feb. 22, 1969, Nafarrete spent his early years in Manila before his family moved to Iloilo. He is the youngest of six children of lawyer Perpetuo Nafarrete and retired public school teacher Maria Daisy Gustilo Nafarrete.
In previous interviews, Nafarrete said he had not initially planned to become a soldier, recalling that he spent his school breaks helping his family on their rice and sugarcane farms.
After graduating from the PMA in 1990, he began his military career as a platoon leader with the 10th Infantry Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division in Zamboanga del Sur. He later became one of the pioneer officers of the reactivated 1st Scout Ranger Company.
He pursued further professional military education by earning a Master of Public Administration degree from the Philippine Christian University and completing various local and overseas military courses, including the Scout Ranger Course, the US Army Ranger Course at Fort Benning, and command, intelligence and counter-terrorism training.
Throughout his career, Nafarrete held key command positions, including commander of the 1st Infantry Division, the 6th Infantry Division, and the Western Mindanao Command. He also served in several operational and staff assignments within the AFP and the Joint Special Operations Group.
