Rolando Joselito Bautista

Rolando Joselito Delizo Bautista (born October 15, 1962) is a retired Filipino lieutenant general who served as the Secretary of Social Welfare and Development under the Duterte administration from 2018 to 2022. He held various positions in the military, such as the former Commanding General of the Philippine Army, commander of the Joint Task Force Marawi during the Battle of Marawi, and the Presidential Security Group.

Military background

A graduate in the Philippine Military Academy, Bautista is a member of the PMA “Sandiwa” class of 1985 and took various preparatory and specialization courses in intelligence and counter-terrorist operations. Bautista completed various intelligence, counter-terrorism, infantry, and other related courses in the country and abroad, such as the AFP Command and General Staff Course at the Armed Forces of the Philippines Command and General Staff College and the VIP Protective Detail Course at the US Embassy in Manila. He is also a Scout Ranger-trained General, and is a qualified member of the Special Forces. During his junior years, then-Lieutenant Bautista, along with then-Lieutenant Carlito Galvez Jr. and other AFP troops were part of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), under the leadership then-Colonel Gregorio Honasan, and participated in the 1989 failed coup attempt against President Corazon Aquino. Bautista and his conspirators were arrested before being granted amnesty by President Fidel Ramos in 1996.

Lieutenant General Bautista is a well-known Mindanao Veteran, described as "well-rounded", "silent worker", an "achiever", and a "workaholic". He also served at the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor. He led the 73rd Infantry Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division in 2005–2007, and the Unified Command Staff Chief of the AFP Northern Luzon Command, from February 2012 to October 2013, the Task Force General Santos and the Joint Task Group Basilan. In 2014, he served as the commander of the Joint Task Group Basilan and the 104th Infantry Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division, replacing then-Brigadier General Carlito Galvez Jr. During the Duterte Administration, he quickly rose through the ranks, as he led the Presidential Security Group in 2016. After finishing his 10 month stint, he was then transferred to the 1st Infantry Division in Mindanao, and was promoted to Major General for his counter-terrorism expertise. He retired from military service on October 15, 2018, as he was replaced by then-Commander of the Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP) Major General Macairog S. Alberto.