A general who helped lead three bloody coup attempts 20 years ago assumed command of the elite marine corps yesterday.
'I was taken aback by the appointment of Major General Juancho Sabban,' said retired navy commodore Rex Robles, one of his former superiors.
'He would be my last candidate' for the post, said Mr Robles, now a military analyst, because 'Sabban is one of those that presidential palace officials know they cannot control'.
'If he doesn't respect you, you won't be able to control him. He will leave you or resign.'
General Sabban's appointment comes amid rising speculation that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been packing the top echelon of the military with officers who could be counted on to help extend her tenure beyond 2010.
He is the fourth general from the Philippine Military Academy class of 1978 to be handed a key post this year by Mrs Arroyo, whom the class adopted as an honorary classmate years ago.