‘Leadership change tested PNP stability’

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January 5, 2026 | 12:00am

Yearender

MANILA, Philippines — With the government drowning in widespread corruption in flood control deals, describing 2025 as a challenging year for the Philippine National Police (PNP) is an understatement.

Aside from protecting the Marcos administration from destabilization threats, the PNP faced a sudden leadership change that tested its stability.

Scalawags that tainted the public image of the police force were also dealt with.

Acting PNP chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez has been steering the 230,000-strong police force since August.

As of late November, Nartatez signed dismissal orders for 428 police officers who committed grave offenses such as robbery, extortion, moonlighting and drug use.

Nartatez ordered the filing of administrative cases against a police corporal who tested positive for drug use in Palompon, Leyte.

In December, six operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group were sacked from their posts after allegedly stealing part of the P141 million seized during last year’s raid at Central One in Bataan.

Nine police officers from Navotas were relieved for allegedly torturing a murder suspect.

Seventy-one police officers were demoted while 448 were suspended for less grave offenses.

“I hope this will serve as a warning to all our personnel not to do something that will compromise the trust and confidence of the people in their police,” Nartatez said.

His predecessor, Gen. Nicolas Torre III, was unceremoniously booted out of his post following a disagreement with the National Police Commission (Napolcom), chaired by Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, over a reshuffle he imposed, which ironically affected Nartatez.

The PNP had three chiefs this year, starting with Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, who spearheaded security preparations for the midterm elections.

Marbil retired in June after serving a three-month extension of his tour of duty granted by President Marcos as a reward for his performance.

Marcos then selected Torre as Marbil’s successor. Torre, when he was director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, gained prominence after leading the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

As Caraga police director, Torre supervised the arrest of alleged child rapist Apollo Quiboloy, the controversial founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

With these two major accomplishments, Torre was expected to lead the PNP until reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 on March 11, 2027.

He became the first graduate of the PNP Academy to head the PNP, and his appointment bypassed two batches of Philippine Military Academy alumni. But his career was cut short after he was relieved from his post on Aug. 25, a tenure of just 85 days as PNP chief.

Then executive secretary Lucas Bersamin sacked Torre over his disagreements with the Napolcom on the reshuffle he imposed without seeking the Napolcom’s approval.

Marcos subsequently said he approved Torre’s removal.

Insiders in the PNP said several senior police officials were also uncomfortable with Torre as police chief given his abrasive approach to how he wanted his plans and programs implemented, particularly the five-minute response policy.

Sources said Torre gave several police officials a dressing down during his first command conference as he was not satisfied with their implementation of the emergency response policy during simulation drills.

Nartatez was present during the meeting as he was then the PNP deputy chief for administration.

Torre later reassigned him to the Area Police Command in Western Mindanao, which is considered a demotion.

Torre went on leave while continuing to hold the four-star rank. He recently accepted appointment as general manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. It is unclear if he has officially resigned from the PNP.

Nartatez, meanwhile, assumed leadership of the PNP at a time when Marcos ordered a crackdown against state officials, contractors and engineers implicated in anomalous flood control projects.

While he is known for being strict, some police officials view Nartatez as more levelheaded than his predecessor.