NEW PNP CHIEF TO STAY AFTER POLLS
Roxas: Commander-in-chief wanted someone who’ll retire after the 2016 polls, not before
PRESIDENT Benigno C. Aquino III has appointed Police Director Ricardo Marquez as the new chief of the Philippine National Police, replacing officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina who is set to retire on July 19.
Marquez was introduced yesterday as the new leader of the 150,000-strong PNP in a press briefing called by Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who supervises the national police agency.
Espina will turn over the command of the PNP to Marquez tomorrow.
“With all humility...I am accepting the challenge to me, to lead the 150,000 strong men and women of the PNP at a time of the history of our organization that we are recovering and moving on from a difficult situation. It is an opportune time to focus on renewing the core functions of the PNP,” said Marquez in an apparent reference to the bungled anti-terror operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25 that claimed 67 lives, including 44 elite cops.
The newly-appointed PNP chief yesterday said that he will focus patrolling streets to prevent crimes and properly investigate crimes.
“This is an opportune time to focus more in doing the core functions of the police and that is patrolling the streets in our communities to prevent crimes, to make sure that crimes are properly investigated if we failed to prevent them from happening, and to track down and take down most wanted criminals and criminal gangs.” Marquez said during a press conference held at PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Marquez bested five men for the post, namely, Deputy Director General Danilo Constantino, chief of the directorial staff, Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo, deputy PNP chief for operations, dismissed chief supt. Raul Petrasanta, Police Director Benjamin Magalong, Crime Investigation and Detection Group chief, and Police Director Juanito Vaño, directorate for logistics head.
Roxas said Aquino took into consideration the retirement age of the candidates as he wanted someone who would step down after the presidential polls in May 2016.
“The President thought that whoever plans, whoever will lead the PNP during the planning for the 2016 elections, it will be very awkward that in the middle of March or April he will suddenly retire and then a new one comes in who was not the leader of the PNP during the preparation for the 2016 polls,” Roxas said.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1982, Marquez will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Aug. 26, 2016.
Roxas also said Aquino credited Marquez’s dedication to the job, saying the new PNP chief was on leave when he helped in the contact tracing of sole Middle East Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus (MersCoV) carrier aboard a plane that traveled from Abu Dhabi to Manila in April last year.
Marquez said he met with Aquino on Monday but he was still not certain if he will be appointed as the new PNP chief until Roxas confirmed it earlier in the day.
Asked what made him stand out from the other candidates, Marquez could not give a specific answer although he said he always carry out any task to the best of his ability.
“I will announce my programs tomorrow. You can expect that we will step up our crime prevention program,” Marquez said.