Who will be next PNP chief? 4 contenders seen
With a little over a month before Philippine National Police chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde retires, four top officials have come out as possible successors to the top PNP post.
Albayalde, set to retire on Nov. 8, is currently embroiled in controversy after he was accused of protecting “ninja cops” or police officers who recycle and sell seized illegal drugs when he was police chief of Pampanga.
Two contenders are Albayalde’s classmates in the Philippine Military Academy’s Class of 1986: PNP deputy chief for operations Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa and directorial staff chief Lt. Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan.
Another official whom Albayalde said could be his successor is Maj. Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, a member of PMA Class of 1987 and current director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO). Another contender is PNP Firearms
and Explosives Office (FEO) director Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon. The four officials declined to comment on reports that they are among those being groomed as the next PNP chief.
Gamboa, Cascolan and De Leon previously had served in Davao City, the hometown of President Duterte.
Albayalde earlier mentioned the names of some officials who might get the nod of the President and succeed him as leader of the 190,000-strong police force.
Gamboa was commander of the PNP National Security Task Force for the 2019 midterm elections. He was head of the deployment of security forces in Mindanao last May, including areas considered as bailiwicks of the Abu Sayyaf, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other lawless armed groups.
If chosen as the next PNP chief, Gamboa will serve for 10 months as he is set to retire on Sept. 2, 2020.
Cascolan, on the other hand, was among those who authored Oplan Double Barrel, which became the government’s flagship strategy in the campaign against illegal drugs.
This includes the controversial Oplan Tokhang where police officers visit the house of drug suspects and ask them to stop their illegal activities and reform.
Cascolan also served as NCRPO director and chief of the PNP Directorate for Operations. He was assigned as police director of Compostela Valley and Taguig City police chief.
Eleazar has spearheaded an aggressive and no-nonsense approach on crimes as the top cop in Metro Manila. Their efforts resulted in a 62 percent decrease in the number of index crime incidents in Metro Manila during the first three years and three months of Duterte’s administration.
Eleazar is known as a strict officer and does not hesitate to berate policemen in public whom he caught sleeping while on duty.
He was also director of the Quezon City Police District.
Eleazar will retire on Nov. 13, 2021 and will sit as PNP chief for more than two years if he is chosen.
De Leon is considered a dark horse, being the youngest who will retire on May 7, 2023. He is a member of PMA Class of 1989.
De Leon has handled various positions in the PNP, including deputy regional director for operations of Region 11. He was also designated police director of Davao City.
As the current FEO director, he has put in place innovations for faster processing of firearms licenses and introduced the “no contact policy” through an online system of handling gun documents and clearances.