[1] He was commanding general of the Philippine Army prior to his appointment as chief of staff by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He first served as platoon leader in 27th Infantry Battalion at the height of Moro War with MNLF and MILF.

[1] He was appointed as chief of combat research and historical branch at the office of the deputy chief of staff for operations, AFP, assistant group commander of 11th Civil Relations Group, and later as commander of 59th Infantry Battalion, Philippine Army.

[1] During his term as AFP chief of staff, several senior officers planned a coup in February 2006 to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

However, this was discovered abruptly stopped[3] when President Arroyo declared a week long State of Emergency.