(Adds president names new air force chief, quotes) MANILA, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has appointed former national police chief Hermogenes Ebdane as the country's new secretary of defence, her spokesman said on Wednesday. Ebdane, who graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, is currently secretary for public works and highways. "I believe he will do a good job," Ignacio Bunye, Arroyo's spokesman, told reporters. "The important thing is that the president has full confidence in the capabilities of Secretary Ebdane." The defence post has been vacant since the end of November when then Secretary Avelino Cruz, a civilian, resigned, saying he disagreed with Arroyo's attempts to overhaul the political system and bring in a parliamentary form of government. Arroyo has held the defence post since then. Her executive secretary, Eduardo Ermita, said Arroyo also appointed Major-General Horacio Tolentino as commander of the Philippine Air Force to replace Lieutenant-General Jose Reyes who will retire on Feb. 3. Tolentino is the current commander of all air force units in the southern Philippines, providing support to ground units fighting communist guerrillas and a small Islamic militant group with close ties to al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah. The Philippines holds congressional elections in May and the defence secretary's post is considered crucial to the conduct of the polls. The military is a key political force in the Philippines with disgruntled officers involved in more than a dozen coup bids since the ousting of dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986. Troops are assigned to count votes and secure ballots during elections.
