(Eagle News) — The military general whose office was behind the posting of what the Department of National Defense said was an “erroneous list” of New People’s Army members on Facebook has gone on leave.
Major General Benedict Arevalo, the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ deputy chief of staff for civil military operations, said his decision was in light of a probe into the mistake “committed by J7 staff” but for which he said he personally took responsibility for.
He said this was the reason he “issued a public apology and reiterated it in my succeeding interviews.”
“The procedure my staff did to post in FB, was confined in my office,” he said.
“In the light of these developments, I will go on leave of absence so as not to influence the ongoing investigation,” he said.
On Thursday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced the relief of Armed Forces Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Major General Alex Luna over what he said was an “unforgivable lapse.”
“His negligence only shows a lackadaisical attitude towards his job resulting to confusion and damage to reputation. We do not take these offenses lightly and I want to hold the people involved accountable,: Lorenzana said.
