Lt. Gen. Iriberri is new Armed Forces of the Philippines chief; Facing Graft charges for ₱97.7 million Php Contract

In his speech during the change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo, Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri said he will pursue a "straight and true" path. - image:CNN Philippines

Lt. Gen. Iriberri is new AFP chief

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri is the new chief of the Armed Forces. He is the 46th to assume the position.

On Friday morning (July 10), Iriberri gave a speech at the change of command ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo where he vowed to follow "the path that is straight and true" — a reference to the Aquino administration's "Tuwid na Daan" campaign against corruption.

In his speech, he also expressed his acceptance of the responsibilities as chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

"Mga mahal kong kababayan, buong pagpapakumbaba ko pong tinatanggap ang hamon at buong puso ko pong gagampanan ang aking katungkulan."

[Translation: My beloved countrymen, I humbly accept the challenges and will wholeheartedly perform my tasks as the AFP chief.]

He also vowed to win and secure peace in the country with his own brand of leadership.

"I only have one principle of leadership. To be a good leader, one must know how to understand people and the situation. To our countrymen, I am all yours to serve."

During the ceremony, President Benigno Aquino III ordered the newly appointed AFP chief to continue the reforms implemented by former AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr.

He also ordered Iriberri to ensure a peaceful and clean elections in 2016.

Gazmin aide

A Surigao del Sur​ native, Iriberri was the former Army chief, and before that, was the chief of the 7th Infantry Division, based in Nueva Ecija.

He was commissioned in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA). He was part of the PMA Matikas Class of 1983.

Iriberri served as the Army spokesman in 2000 when Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin was its commanding general. When Gazmin was appointed as the Defense secretary, he served as the cabinet secretary's most senior aide.

Gazmin is believed to be highly influential in military appointments in the Aquino administration.

Graft charges

The new AFP chief, however, is facing graft charges before the Ombudsman for the alleged failure to issue documents involving three contracts worth ₱97.7 million Php. This resulted in the shelving of contracts won by Joavi Philippines.

The contracts were for ammunition delivery in 2010 and 2012. But Iriberri said he is ready to answer the charges. - CNN Philippines' David Santos  and Anjo Alimario contributed to this report.

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Philippines sets up innovation center- A new Silicon Valley in Asia

Philippines sets up innovation center, takes a page from Singapore, Malaysia

The Philippines has announced a plan to build a national innovation center – taking cue from Silicon Valley in the US, Block 71 in Singapore, and MaGIC in Malaysia.

Government agencies, including the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), are collaborating with startup accelerator IdeaSpace for this effort.

With initial funding of ₱30 million Php (US$665,000) from the government and counterpart funding of up to ₱15 million Php (US$332,000) from private sector and academe, the innovation center will have two locations – both of which will be near the country's premier universities.

"When we founded IdeaSpace in 2012, we wanted to find the next big innovative idea and create a startup ecosystem that embodies the Silicon Valley-mindset of using technology and science to create massive change in the world," said Earl Martin Valencia, president and co-founder at IdeaSpace.

"Now, we realize the dream to create Philippines' own innovation hub with our initial collaboration with the government and the academe where startups and high-potential research can get the support they need in order to grow and thrive," Valencia added.

The Philippine innovation center will foster technology advancement and startup ecosystem growth. Valencia said the hubs will be set up near key academic institutions to imbibe the spirit of innovative and entrepreneurial thinking among students, to tap into a wellspring of engineering and technology talent from these universities, as well as to address the growing interest of students in founding their own startups.

Calling on more partners

The center will also serve as a venue for government agencies and academic institutions to promote products, facilitate transfer of their R&D results, and establish connections with the investment community.

"It has always been DOST's thrust to support technology transfer of R&D output, either through commercialization or deployment for public good. The innovation center, we believe, will be a critical and effective agent in delivering R&D results to the people," DOST undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara said.

DTI undersecretary Nora Terrado added: "The DTI strongly supports entrepreneurship and innovation in the Philippines to realize economic growth that is truly inclusive. Tech startups present a growing spectrum of opportunities for Filipinos to compete in the international stage as they create new solutions to pressing social and environmental problems. In the process, this will spur economic activities resulting from the value and employment generated."

Valencia notes the initiatives represents the Philippines' first ever public-private partnership that focuses on innovation and aims to improve the country's position in the global digital economy. "We can't do it alone, so we're calling on more partners… to help us push this initiative forward."

The creation of the innovation hub will be a critical component in boosting the Philippines' ranking in the Digital Evolution Index (DEI), which ranks countries in terms of their readiness for the quickly expanding digital economy.

The Philippines is one of the so-called "break-out" nations in the recent global DEI study conducted by the US-based Fletcher School at Tufts University, using data from 2008 to 2013. The country stands alongside China, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam as one of the "rapidly advancing countries" in the global digital topography.

What do you think of the Philippines' plan to build its own innovation hub? Will it take off? What are the challenges? And what lessons can the Philippines learn from neighbors Singapore and Malaysia? Feel free to share your thoughts. Editing by Malavika Velayanikal and Terence Lee - TECHINASIA

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