Outgoing Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III acted “beyond his authority” when he unilaterally relieved his then second-in-command, former PNP Deputy Chief for Administration and now incoming PNP chief Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.
This was the statement of Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson after Malacañang announced on Tuesday, August 26, that General Torre was sacked as PNP chief “effective immediately.”
“Normally, the designation (and relief) of the members of the PNP Command Group – Deputy for Administration, Deputy for Operations, and Chief, Directorial Staff should be cleared with the President or at least the ex-officio Chairman of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), and the Secretary of Interior and Local Government,” Senator Lacson said.
“Even when former President Joseph Estrada gave me the blanket authority to run and manage the PNP during my time as Chief, PNP, I did not exercise absolute authority over the designations of the members of the Command Group,” the Senator added.
A graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in 1971, Sen. Lacson served as the PNP Chief during the term of former President Joseph Estrada in 1991.
Sen Lacson emphasized the need for a “smooth transition and transfer of command and authority” in order to maintain the peace and order for the benefit of the general public.
Malacañang has yet to divulge why General Torre was relieved of his position just three months shy of his appointment as the country’s top cop.
But Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin has already confirmed to The Situation Report that Torre will be replaced by General Nartatez.
The new PNP chief
Then-Major General Nartatez served as the director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) in 2023, before becoming PNP’s second-in-command in October 2024.
During his time, the NCRPO recorded a 98.61% of crime clearance efficiency rate, which means the cleared cases out of the total number of crime incidents were close to completion.
Nartatez was also known for his stern leadership, having removed 1,000 rogue cops and overseeing the seizure of P934 million worth of drugs during his first year as NCRPO chief.
The new PNP chief is set to for mandatory retirement on March 2027.
