Felimon Talusan Santos Jr. (born August 4, 1964) is a retired Filipino

general A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

who served as the former

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...

of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ( fil, Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas) are the military forces of the Philippines. It consists of three main service branches; the Army, the Air Force, and the Navy (including the Marine Corps). The P ...

. Prior to his appointment, he served as the commander of the

AFP Eastern Mindanao Command The Eastern Mindanao Command (abbrv. as EASTMINCOM) is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' unified command in charge of the Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga regions. It is responsible for the defense of these areas against external aggresion, as ...

, and the 7th Infantry Division. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy "Sinagtala" Class of 1986.

Early life and education

General Santos was born on August 3, 1964, at

San Rafael, Bulacan San Rafael, officially the Municipality of San Rafael ( tgl, Bayan ng San Rafael), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 103,097 people. With the continuous exp ...

, and came from a family of farmers. He attended the

Philippine Military Academy The Philippine Military Academy ( fil, Akademiyang Militar ng Pilipinas / es, Academia Militar de Filipinas) also referred to by its acronym PMA is the premier military academy for Filipinos aspiring for a commission as a military officer of ...

in 1982 and graduated in 1986 as part of the "Sinagtala" Class, and attended major courses locally and abroad, such as the Scout Ranger Course, the Military Intelligence Officer Basic Course, the Field Artillery Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, the Law of Armed Conflict and Human Right and International Law Training, the United Nations Military Observer and Staff Course in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the Comptroller Officer Basic Course, and the Command and General Staff Course at the

Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College The Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College, known officially as the AFPCGSC or GSC, (Filipino: ''Dalubhasaan ng Pangasiwaan at Kawanihang Heneral ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas'') is one of the training units of the Ar ...

. He also holds a

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Management at the

Philippine Christian University The Philippine Christian University (PCU) is a private, Protestant coeducational basic and higher education institution located in Ermita, Manila, Philippines. It was founded in 1946 through the initiatives of the laymen of the Evangelical Assoc ...

Background

General Santos is a seasoned intelligence officer, and also commanded various units within the Philippine Army and the AFP, ranging from infantry, scout rangers, intelligence and field artillery units. He started his junior days as a platoon officer, executive officer and company commander at the 39th Infantry Battalion, 10 ID. General Santos also served as the Chief Military Personnel Officer for Filipino Peacekeepers in the

United Nations Disengagement Observer Force The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The mission was established by United ...

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

, and led the 11th Intelligence Service Unit based in Davao, and served as the Assistant Chief of Unified Command for Operations, U3 of the

AFP Central Command The Visayas Command (abbrv. as VISCOM) is the Armed Forces of the Philippines' unified command in charge of all the visayas islands. It is responsible for the defense of these areas against external aggression, as well as combating terrorism and ...

. General Santos also served as the commander of the 703rd Infantry Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division, Assistant Commander of the

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 6th Division (Australia) * 6th Division (Austria) *6th (United Kingdom) Division * Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) *Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) * 6th Division (Reichswehr) * 6th Divisi ...

, Commander and Group Commander of the Philippine Army Intelligence and Security Group and Commander of the Philippine Army Civil Military Operations Regiment. During his stint as Commander of the Philippine Army Intelligence and Security Group, he was involved the capture of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon, two of the most high-ranking officials of the

Communist Party of the Philippines The Communist Party of the Philippines ( fil, Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas) is a far-left, Marxist-Leninist-Maoist revolutionary organization and communist party in the Philippines, formed by Jose Maria Sison on 26 December 1968. It is desi ...

in 2014. He became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, J2 in November 2016 to October 2017, where he earned his 2nd star and was promoted to

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

. He was involved the arrest of Abu Sayyaf finance officer Khair Mundos. He also led intelligence operations against the

Abu Sayyaf Abu Sayyaf (; ar, جماعة أبو سياف; ', ASG), officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that follows the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based i ...

Sulu Province Sulu (), officially the Province of Sulu ( Tausūg: ''Wilāya sin Lupa' Sūg''; tl, Lalawigan ng Sulu), is a province of the Philippines in the Sulu Archipelago and part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Its capi ...

, and during the

Battle of Marawi The siege of Marawi ( fil, Pagkubkob sa Marawi), also known as the Marawi crisis (), and the Battle of Marawi (), was a five-month-long armed conflict in Marawi, Philippines, that started on May 23, 2017, between Philippine government security ...

, where he assisted the final operations against eliminating the main leaders of the terrorists who laid siege to

Marawi Marawi, officially the Islamic City of Marawi (Maranao: ''Inged a Marawi''; fil, Islamikong Lungsod ng Marawi), is a 4th class component city and capital of the province of Lanao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a po ...

City,

Omar Maute Omarkhayam Romato Maute (June 12, 1980 – October 16, 2017) was a Moro militant who co-founded, along with his brother Abdullah Maute, a ''Dawlah Islamiyah'' (Islamic state) group in Mindanao, Philippines, commonly known as the Maute group afte ...

and

Isnilon Hapilon Isnilon Totoni Hapilon (March 10, 1968 – October 16, 2017), also known by the ''nom de guerre'' Abu Abdullah al-Filipini, was a Moro Filipino Islamist militant affiliated with ISIS. He was formerly leader of Abu Sayyaf Group, before its bat ...

. General Santos became the commander of the 7th Infantry Division from October 2017 to January 2019, became the commander of the

from January 2019 to January 2020, where he earned his third star and was promoted to

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) 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 ...

, before being promoted as 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 head ...

on January 4, 2020, and obtained his fourth star, as well as promoted to the rank of General on January 27, 2020. On June 19, 2020, the position of Chief of Staff was renamed as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, but was deferred a few months later. During his term as the AFP Chief, he spearheaded the disaster response operations in the aftermath of the 2020 Taal Volcano eruption and led overall medical and logistical support amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. General Santos retired from military service on August 3, 2020, where he was replaced by his classmate, Gen.

Gilbert Gapay Gilbert Italia Gapay (born February 4, 1965) is a retired Philippine Army general who served as the 54th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Prior to his appointment, he served as the 61st Chief of the Army and the commander of ...

Awards and decorations

Left Side: Right Side: Badges and Other Awards: *

Scout Ranger Qualification Badge Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

AFP Command and General Staff Course Badge * SFRA

Honorary Special Forces Regiment Badge * Army Transformational Roadmap Badge * Dangal ng Lipi of the Province of

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

Personal life

He is married to Margie Fe G. Santos, a native from

Cotabato Province Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...

and a licensed nurse and businesswoman, and they have 2 daughters. After his retirement in the military, he now serves as a farmer in his family farm in

. On March 27, 2020, he has tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As of March 27, 2020, he is the 4th highest ranking Philippine Government official to have been infected with the

SARS-CoV2 Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) is a strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), the respiratory illness responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The virus previously had a p ...

including Senator Zubiri, Senator

Angara The Angara ( Buryat and mn, Ангар, ''Angar'', "Cleft"; russian: Ангара́, ''Angará'') is a major river in Siberia, which traces a course through Russia's Irkutsk Oblast and Krasnoyarsk Krai. It drains out of Lake Baikal and is ...

and Senator Pimentel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Santos, Felimon 1964 births Living people Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs (Philippines) People from Bulacan Philippine Army generals Philippine Military Academy alumni Philippine Military Academy Class of 1986 Recipients of the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation Recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Medal Recipients of the Distinguished Service Star Recipients of the Gold Cross (Philippines) Recipients of the Bronze Cross Medal Recipients of the Silver Wing Medal Recipients of the Military Merit Medal (Philippines) Recipients of the Military Civic Action Medal Recipients of the Military Commendation Medal Duterte administration personnel