Senior Defense Undersecretary Jose Faustino, Jr., reported physically for his first day of work as the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday.

Faustino was accorded arrival honors by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and was welcomed by the officials and employees of the DND. He formally took over the helm of the Department on July 1 and has been performing his duties remotely while undergoing the required isolation period after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.

Faustino, who remained asymptomatic since testing positive for COVID-19, is fully vaccinated and boosted. In accordance with health and safety protocols, he completed the seven-day isolation before reporting physically to work. DND Defense Communications Service