President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has extended the term of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil for four months, Malacañang announced Thursday morning, Feb. 6.
A memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Feb. 4 stated that the extension would take effect on Feb. 7, Marbil’s retirement day.
The memorandum was addressed to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor Remulla.
Last month, President Marcos said he was considering extending the term of PNP Chief Marbil, citing the importance of leadership stability within the PNP during a critical election season.
“Pinag-aaralan namin,” he said on Jan. 20.
“But I think that is probably a very strong argument to keep him on, at the very least, until after the elections,” he added.
In a statement, Marbil thanked Marcos for the trust and the opportunity to serve, especially with the coming elections.
“Thank you [to] our President for trusting and having confidence in the PNP under my leadership,” he said.
“The four-month extension will help us refine and improve the preparations we made for the election,” he added.
Marbil, the 30th PNP chief, is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Sambisig Class of 1991. He took command of the top police post on April 1, 2024.
Marbil previously headed the PNP Directorate for Comptrollership and served as the regional director of Police Regional Office 8 (PRO-8) and as the director of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG).
His tenure as police chief has been marked by initiatives in law enforcement modernization and crime prevention. (Argyll Geducos)
