Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte officially installed Lt. Gen. Rey Leonardo Guerrero as chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to replace Gen. Eduardo Ano, who officially retired from military service after reaching the mandatory age of 56.

"As we begin the rebuilding from the ruins of war, we welcome (Guerrero) as the new chief of staff with the hope that the AFP will remain at the forefront of our battle against all threats against our nation, external or internal," Duterte said in a speech during the change of command ceremony at the AFP's main headquarters in Quezon City.

"I will now request (Guerrero) to supervise the destruction of all arms whether high-powered or hand guns, all of it will be destroyed in some place to show that we are also able to meet the challenges of terrorism and violence," Duterte added.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Duterte was referring to the more than 1,000 firearms seized from the pro-Islamic State (IS) militants who took over the southern Philippine city of Marawi for five months.

The Marawi conflict, which broke out on May 23, finally ended on Oct. 23 when all the IS-linked extremists were killed. The conflict claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people, including 960 militants and 165 soldiers and policemen, and complete ruined the city.

For his part, Guerrero vowed to defeat the rebel groups and the IS extremists that continue to fight the government.

Prior to his new post as AFP chief of staff, Guerrero was the commander of the AFP's Eastern Mindanao Command. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1984.