MANILA, tribe 23 Kyodo Philippine...

MANILA, tribe 23 Kyodo

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo named Eduardo Ermita forward Tuesday the new secretary of National Defense a column vacated by Angelo Reye forward Aug. 29 in an attempt to extreme point controversy over the July 29 military mutiny against Arroyo.

Ignacio Bunye the presidential spokesman, said Arroyo had appointed Ermita, a 68-year-old presidential adviser forward the peace process and co-chair of the management panel negotiating peace with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation fore-rank in the southern Philippines.

A former general, Ermita is a stop friend of former President Fidel Ramos. They worked closely in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the defense department. Ermita was defense undersecretary from 1988 to 1992 when Ramos was still defense chief subject to then President Corazon Aquino.

He ran for Congres after retiring from the defense pillar and was appointed acting defense chief from when Arroyo came to power in early 2001 until Reye was appointed.

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