The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the promotions of five senior Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officers and 85 Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) officials during a special session of Congress.

These confirmations had been delayed by a recent Senate leadership dispute that left the chamber temporarily unable to convene due to a lack of quorum.

The confirmed military officers are Lt. Gen. Edmundo Peralta, Vice Adm. Alan Javier, Maj. Gen. Isagani Criste, Brig. Gen. Niceforo Diaz Jr. and Brig. Gen. Rosemawatte Remo.

Representative Jose “Joboy” Aquino II, chairman of the National Defense Committee, presented the military appointments and said the nominees had met all legal and professional benchmarks.

“These officers have dedicated more than three decades of their lives to the service of the country, rising through the ranks through their competence, discipline, integrity, and unwavering commitment to duty,” Aquino said.

The deliberations briefly stalled when Senator Rodante Marcoleta questioned whether the five officers, all 56 years old, remained eligible for confirmation.

Marcoleta cited they were bypassed following the adjournment of Congress on 3 June and were approaching the mandatory retirement age governed by Republic Act 11939.

“It only means that the five of you may no longer be eligible for reappointment in view of the prohibition under Section 1 of Republic Act 11939,” Marcoleta said, clarifying that his objection was structural rather than personal.

“They are not at fault, but somebody is at fault here... and then we have now a problem with the law,” he added.

Meantime, Senator Panfilo Lacson countered that the ad interim appointments were valid resubmissions of promotions issued during a congressional recess, exempting them from the one-year restriction.

Lacson then moved for the confirmation of the officers. “It is not their fault that we were also in a mess in the Senate and their confirmation was not taken up,” Lacson said.