Eduardo Año

Eduardo Manahan Año (Tagalog: [ɛdwɐɾdo ˈaɲo]; born October 26, 1961) is a retired Philippine Army general serving as the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government since 2018 in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte. He previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2016 to 2017, and was the Commanding General of the Philippine Army from 2015 to 2016.

Eduardo M. Año AFP, CCLH, PGAT
Año in 2018
Secretary of the Interior and Local Government
Incumbent
Assumed office November 6, 2018 January 5, 2018 – November 6, 2018 (Officer in Charge)
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Usec. Catalino Cuy (OIC)
Undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
In office October 26, 2017 – January 4, 2018
President	Rodrigo Duterte
48th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines
In office December 7, 2016[1] – October 26, 2017
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Gen. Ricardo Visaya
Succeeded by	Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero
Commanding General of the Philippine Army
In office July 14, 2015 – December 7, 2016
President	Benigno S. Aquino III Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Lt Gen. Hernando Iriberri[2]
Succeeded by	Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda
Vice Chairman of the National Task Force Against COVID-19
Incumbent
Assumed office March 16, 2020
President	Rodrigo Duterte
Preceded by	Position established
Personal details
Born	Eduardo Manahan Año October 26, 1961[2] San Mateo, Rizal, Philippines[2]
Alma mater	Philippine Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Philippines
Branch/service	Philippine Army
Years of service	1983–2017
Rank	General[3]
Unit	Chief of Staff, AFP Commanding General, PA 10th Infantry Division Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Army Intelligence & Security Group
Battles/wars	Moro conflict CPP-NPA-NDF rebellion Marawi crisis

Life and career

Military career

Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año as Army Chief.

Official portrait of General Eduardo Año as AFP Chief of Staff

Eduardo Manahan Año was born in San Mateo, Rizal on October 26, 1961. He graduated elementary as valedictorian. He entered the Philippine Military Academy and became a member of the PMA Matikas class of 1983, where he graduated as Cum Laude. He is also a graduate of the Scout Ranger Course and took courses in the U.S. Army Intelligence Center and School in Arizona, and in the Israel Counter Terrorism Center in 2002. He finished on the top of his class in the International Officer Intelligence Course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona in 1993, by earning a 100 percent grade rating in the course. [4][2]

Año held various military positions in the Military Intelligence Positions, such as the Commander of the Intelligence and Security Group of the Philippine Army, the Chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,[2] the Commander of the 10th Infantry (Agila) Division,[2] the 57th Commanding General of the Philippine Army and eventually the 48th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In the years of his military service, he led the capture of Benito and Wilma Tiamzon of the Communist Party of the Philippines in 2014,[5] as well as the death of a New People's Army Commander, Leonardo Pitao, known as "Kumander Prago" in his term as commander of the 10th Infantry Division.[5][6]

He was appointed Martial Law Administrator in Mindanao during the five-month long Marawi Crisis.[7]

Año has been a recipient of approximately 70 awards, medals and decorations locally and abroad. He received the Philippine Military Academy Cavalier Award in 1996 as an outstanding PMA Alumnus in the field of Army Operations. He is also a recipient of the Philippine Legion of Honor (Degree of Chief Commander) and the Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera (PGAT) by the King of Malaysia.

Secretary of the Interior and Local Government

President Rodrigo Duterte designated Año as officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government in January 2018. Año could not be given the secretary post immediately because Republic Act 6975 prevents a retired or resigned military officer from being appointed as a secretary within one year from the date of their retirement or resignation.[8] He formally took oath as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government on November 6, 2018.[9]

Awards

• Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation
• Martial Law Unit Citation
• People Power I Unit Citation
• People Power II Unit Citation
• Philippine Legion of Honor- Degree of Chief Commander
• Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera (PGAT)
• 4 Distinguished Service Star
• Gold Cross Medals
• Silver Cross Medal
• 24 Bronze Cross Medal for intelligence operations
• 36 Military Merit Medals
• 10 Military Commendation Medal
• Silver Wing Medal
• Gawad sa Kaunlaran
• Sagisag ng Ulirang Kawal
• Military Civic Action Medal
• Parangal sa Kapanalig ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas
• Long Service Medal
• Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal & Ribbon
• Luzon Anti Dissidence Campaign Medal
• Mindanao Anti-Dissidence Campaign Medal
• Jolo and Sulu Campaign Medal
• Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation Operation Ribbon
• Special Forces Qualification Badge
• Combat Commander's Badge (Philippines)
• Scout Ranger Qualification Badge
• Philippine Army Command and General Staff Course Badge
• PAF Gold Wings Badge
• PMA Cavalier Award

Personal life

Eduardo Año is married to Jean Joselyn Maria R. Dioso and they have 4 children.[4]

On April 9, 2020, Año disclosed that he tested positive for COVID-19 and claimed that he was asymptomatic. He had himself tested on March 27 after learning that he came into close contact with at least four other government officials who tested positive for COVID-19, including Felimon Santos Jr. and Jojo Garcia.[10][11] He recovered on April 13, after a test that was performed on April 8 had a negative result.[12][13] On August 16, Año announced that he tested positive again for COVID-19.[14]

References

1. CNN Philippines Staff (December 7, 2016). "Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año is new AFP Chief of Staff". CNN Philippines. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
2. "Profile: Major General Eduardo M. Año, Commanding General of the Army". Official Gazette of the Republic of the Philippines. July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
3. Mangosing, Frances (January 5, 2017). "AFP chief gets his fourth star". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
4. "Eduardo M. Año" (PDF). National Power Corporation. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
5. "Analyzing Año". ABS-CBN News. January 6, 2019. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
6. Ilagan, Cheng (December 7, 2016). "Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año is new AFP Chief of Staff". Philippine Canadian Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
7. Gita, Ruth Abbey (May 24, 2017). "Duterte appoints Año as martial law administrator". SunStar. Archived from the original on July 30, 2020. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
8. Nestor Corrales (November 5, 2018). "Año now officially DILG secretary". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
9. "Año is now officially DILG chief". ABS-CBN News. November 6, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
10. Marquez, Consuelo (March 31, 2020). "BREAKING: DILG chief Año tests positive for coronavirus disease". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 10, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
11. "Año tests positive for COVID-19". Manila Bulletin. March 31, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
12. Caliwan, Christopher Lloyd (April 13, 2020). "DILG chief Año tests negative for Covid-19". Philippine News Agency. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
13. "Año now tests negative for COVID-19". Philippine Daily Inquirer. April 13, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
14. Chavez, Chito; Geducos, Argyll Cyrus B. (August 16, 2020). "DILG's Año tests positive anew for virus". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 18, 2020.