President Rodrigo Duterte has chosen Maj. Gen. Macairog Alberto as the incoming chief of the Philippine Army, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said on Thursday.

Currently, Alberto is the head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( ISAFP).

He will assume the post on October 15, replacing Lt. Gen. Joselito Bautista who will retire from military service upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.

"The appointment paper of MGen Macairog S. Alberto, the newly appointed Commanding General of the Philippine Army has been released to the Department of National Defense, today, 11 October 2018," Medialdea said in a text message to reporters.

Alberto is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1986. Celerina Monte/DMS