Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reuters
Reuters
Politics

Philippines' Marcos picks ex-military chief and COVID tsar as defence minister

FILE PHOTO: President of the Philippines Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attends a news conference after the European Union (EU) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) commemorative summit in Brussels, Belgium December 14, 2022. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has chosen a former military chief who led the country's fight against the coronavirus as his new defense minister, his office said on Monday.

Carlito Galvez, 60, headed the Philippines' COVID-19 task force and as a regional army commander was in 2017 credited with overseeing the defeat of militants loyal to Islamic State, who took over and held a southern town for five months in 2017.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.