Air Force chief Gen. Galileo Gerard Kintanar Jr. has no corruption issues even as President Rodrigo Duterte replaced him less than two years to go before retirement, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

"He is not relieved for corruption. It's just a- to give way for the junior officers," Col. Noel Detoyato, chief of AFP Public Affairs said on Thursday.

Detoyato said Kintanar's relief is for the professional growth of the whole organization.

"Because the junior officers has to go up. So dynamism of the AFP organization is if the junior officers have to go up, the older ones have to give way," he said.

He said what happened to former Navy chief Vice Admiral Ronald Joseph Mercado has no co-relation to Kintanar's case. "There is no similarity," he said.

Mercado was removed from post due to the controversial frigate acquisition project of the Philippine Navy.

Kintanar, who served for almost one year is to retire on January 2020. He will be replaced by Lt. Gen. Rozzano Briguez, commander of West Command in Palawan.

Detoyato said the change in leadership will not affect the AFP's modernization program.

He assured that this will not demoralize the soldiers. "No. It has happened time and again and it just improved the organization," he said. Ella Dionisio/DMS