Benito T. de Leon
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Benito T. de León | |
|---|---|
 In army bush coat uniform wearing a Maranao Sultan cap (October 2008) | |
| Nickname | Bennie |
| Born | March 21, 1960 |
| Allegiance |  Philippines |
| Branch | Philippine Army |
| Service years | 1981 – 2016 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | 1st Infantry (Tabak) Division |
| Commands |
|
Benito Antonio Templo de León (born March 21, 1960)[1] is a retired military officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). While a Roman Catholic, he was conferred the rare Muslim-Maranao honorary title of Sultan a Romapunut[2] for his peace efforts.[3][4] De León held the Philippine Army rank of major general and was the commander of the 5th Infantry Division until his designation as Inspector General of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He retired in 2016 after reaching the mandatory age of 56.[5]
Benito de León was born on March 21, 1960, in Tuguegarao, Cagayan.[1] His father, Nicolás de León (1936–2010) from Alcala, Cagayan, was a Certified Public Accountant who later taught in colleges and eventually retired as a banker. His mother, Fe Templo-de León (1929–1981), from Santo Niño, Cagayan,[6] was a public school teacher. His three maternal uncles graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, and served in the military until retirement as general or flag officers: Brigadier General César Templo, Class of 1954; Commodore George Templo, Class of 1957; and Brigadier General Emiliano Templo, Class of 1962.
De León is the eldest from a Catholic family of seven including his brother Superintendent[7] Valeriano de León (also a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Class of 1989), who is serving with the Philippine National Police.
He is married to the Annabelle Quinonez from Surigao del Sur, with whom he has four children: Antoinette, Dyanne Lysette, Michael Henry, and Patrick Kevin. His first grandson is Michael Anthony.
Education
He took his early elementary education at Saint Paul College of Tuguegarao and finished at Tuguegarao North Central School. He had his secondary education at Saint Louis Science High School of Tuguegarao and graduated in 1977.[8] Thereafter, he entered the Philippine Military Academy as cadet and graduated with the Dimalupig Class of 1981.[1] He took his Basic Infantry Course at the United States Army Infantry School at Fort Benning in 1987. In 2001, he topped the Philippine Army Command and General Staff Course. In 2004, he finished his Defence and Strategic Studies Course at the Centre for Defence and Strategic Studies of the Australian Defence College.
De León also holds a Master in Management degree from the Asian Institute of Management, a Master of Business Administration from the National College of Business and Arts, and Master of Arts in Strategic Studies from Deakin University in Australia. He also finished the Freelance Writer Program through distance learning with the Penn Foster Career School in the United States.