If a president can appoint any police general to be chief of the Philippine National Police, then why does a shortlist of contenders is still being submitted to him?
Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Ano explained that the submission of a shortlist of recommended successor for the highest post in the PNP is part of the long observed process.
Under law, the National Police Commission, which is chaired by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, is mandated to submit a recommendation to the President. Aside from the Napolcom, the outgoing chief of the PNP usually submits his own shortlist of his possible successor.
“As part of the process, I have to submit a short list to the President to assist him and spare him from tedious process of screening and evaluating senior qualified PNP generals,” said Ano.
But Ano said that the President is not required to choose from the short list being submitted to him by both the Napolcom and the outgoing chief PNP. “President Duterte can choose anybody from one-star (police brigadier general) to three-star (police lieutenant general),” said Ano.
In the case of then PNP chief Police Gen. now Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the President chose him to be the top cop although he was only a one-star police general.
The appointment of Dela Rosa caused temporary rumblings in the PNP as a number of senior officers felt that they were bypassed on the seniority rules.
Dela Rosa is a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1986. His predecessor, Police Gen. Ricardo Marquez, is from PMA Class 1982, thus, three classes of senior officers, were set aside.
Sources said the rumblings were contained with the help of PMA Class 1985 through then Police Lt. Gen. Ramon Apolinario and then Police Major Gen. Benjamin Magalong of PMA Class 1982.
Following Dela Rosa’s retirement, the three PMA classes were again bypassed after Duterte chose then PNP chief Oscar Albayalde, also a member of PMA Class 1986.
Albayalde’s appointment cemented the status of PMA Class 1986 as the ruling class in the PNP, as most of the juicy posts were given to his “mistahs” or classmates. (Aaron Recuenco)
