IT would really be a Merry Christmas for 54 senior Philippine National Police officials whose finally got their much-deserved but long-delayed promotion on Monday, courtesy of PBBM and DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr.

Many of these officials were designated to their respective posts by PNP chief, General Jun Azurin last August and for more than four ‘very long months’ waited for their promotion papers to move from the National Police Commission to the Civil Service Commission and finally to the Office of the President.

Two weeks ago, some of these officials told me they are already singing the hit Christmas song of the famous Aegis band ‘Ibigay Mo Na Ang Aming Christmas Bonus’ and directing the song to Sec. Abalos.

As I have said before, these officials are not asking for the regular bonus which they usually receive before Christmas but what they want from Sec. Abalos is to try to do something in order to have their promotion papers released before Christmas Day.

I h ave talked with many of these full-fledged colonels and star-rank officials whose promotion have been delayed for months already for still unknown reasons and all of them apealed in unison to Sec. Abalos to help them earn their much-deserved promotion which he actually guaranteed early last October.

On Monday, their long wait is over, the good news himself coming from Sec. Abalos who said that PBBM has approved the promotion of 54 senior PNP officials led by National Capital Region Police Office director, newly-promoted Major General Jonnel Estomo.

Estomo and his classmates from Philippine Military Academy ‘Tanglaw-Diwa’ Class of 1992, PNP Director for Plans, Maj. Gen. Bernie Banac and PNP Director for Police-Community Relations, Maj. Gen. Mario Reyes as well as two members of PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991, PNP Director for Operations, Maj. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta and PNP Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, Maj. Gen. Jon Arnaldo took their oath of office before Gen.. Azurin Jr. on Monday evening.

The PNP chief also led the oath-taking of newly-promoted Police Brigadier Gen. Roger Quezada, the Executive Officer of the PNP-DHRDD and Brig. Gen. Arcadio Ronquillo Jr., the Ex-O of the Area Police Command-Southern Luzon on the same time.

On Tuesday, the top cop also inducted into office 24 other newly-promoted officials led by Lieutenant Gen. Rhoderick Armamento, the commander of the APC-Southern Luzon who hails from PNP Academy Class 1990.

The others are newly-promoted Maj. Gen. Ritchie Posadas of the National Police Training Institute; Maj. Gen. Eric Noble, the director of the PNP Academy; and Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, the director of the elite PNP Special Action Force.

Posadas belongs to PMA ‘Bigkis Lahi’ Class of 1990 while Noble is also from PMA Class 1992. With his promotion, Maj. Gen. Okubo became the highest-ranked PNP official from PNPA Class 1992 at present.

The other newly promoted 1-star police generals are Brig. Gen. Jun Castil of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group; Brig. Gen. Antonio Olaguera, the director of the PNP Legal Service; Brig. Gen. Arcadio Ronquillo Jr., the Ex-O of the APC-Southern Luzon; Brig. Gen. Reynaldo Tamondong, the Ex-O of the APC-Northern Luzon; Brig. Gen. Christopher Birung, the PNPA deputy director;

Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, the director of the PNP Aviation Security Group; Brig. Gen. Robert Alexander Morico, the Ex-O of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence; Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, the director of the PNP Aviation Security Group; Brig. Gen. Percival Augustus Placer of the Peace Process Development Center under the Officer of the Chief,PNP;

Brig. Gen. Nicolas Salvador, the Ex-O of the PNP-DPL; Brig. Gen. Jun Castil , the director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group; Brig. Gen. Ramil Saculles of the Office of the PNP Chief Directorial Staff; Brig. Gen. Mark Pespes, the director of the PNP Headquarters Support Service; Brig. Gen. Patrick Joseph Allan, the Cordillera Police Regional Office Deputy Regional Director for Administration;

Brig. Gen. Roderick Minong, the director of the PNP Logistics Support Service; Brig. Gen. Jezebel Medina, the PNP Health Service director; Brig. Gen. Neri Vincent Ignacio, the Ex-O of the PNP Directorate for Logistics; Brig. Gen. Wilson Asueta, the director of the Eastern Police District; Brig. Gen. Rizalito Gapas, the PNP-SAF Deputy Director; and Brig. Gen. Ponce Rogelio Peñones Jr., the director of the Northern Police District.

Many of these newly-promoted officials are my long-time friends particularly Maj. Generals Estomo, Banac, Reyes and Noble whom I have known since their young days as PNP Captains and aide-de-camp to highly-respected PNP officials in the past.

Maj. Gen. Okubo is an outstanding PNPA graduate who is now leading the PNP-SAF’s new mission to ‘win back the hearts and minds’ of the people thru their own Revitalized-Pulis sa Barangay program.

Birung and Morico of PNPA Class 1992 and Castil and Aberin of PNPA Class 1993 are my long-time Lakan friends, same with Asueta, Gapas and Pespes. I have known these officers for their hard work and dedication to duty.

Asueta , a lawyer from PNPA Class 1995 is now doing well at the EPD while his classmate Gapas finally got his star-rank after working hard at the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement. Group and later the PNP Intelligence Group.

Brig. Gen. Pespes of course is the hardworking and sharpshooting member of PNPA Class 1993 who will forever be known as the Camp Crame commander who saved the country from what could be another international embarrassment when he shot and killed an armed terrorist who was holding jailed ex-Senator Leila de Lima hostage inside the PNP Custodial Center last October.

I would also like to mention Brig. Gen. Medina, the only woman among the newly-promoted police star-rank officials. The lady general is the wife of former Quezon City Police District director, Brig. Gen. Remus Medina of PNPA Class 1993.

Congratulations to our new police generals and may your tribe literally increase in the next few days. I’m referring to a number of police officials whose promotion remain pending at the moment. May their stars come before Christmas so that they would forever remember Christmas 2022 for the rest of their lives. Cheers!!!