26th PNP chief thanks PRRD, promises to pursue war vs drugs, crime, corruption, terrorism

LIEUTENANT General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar officially takes over as the country’s 26th Philippine National Police (PNP) chief today, Friday, with a stern vow to continue the massive police reforms and all-out war on drugs, criminality, corruption and terrorism initiated by his predecessor and classmate from Philippine Military Academy ‘Hinirang’ Class of 1987, General Debold M. Sinas who will retire from the force tomorrow.

“To be appointed as the Chief PNP is a rare opportunity but comes with the challenges of good leadership and meeting the high expectations of the Filipino people. I accept these challenges. I express my sincerest gratitude to our Commander-in-Chief, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for choosing me to be among the instruments of his genuine intention of having a well-disciplined and professional police force that could always be banked on in enforcing the law and in serving and protecting the Filipino people,” the 55-year old official who will be getting his 4th-star rank today said.

Duterte designated Eleazar as the next PNP chief following a recommendation from the National Police Commission chaired by Department of Interior and Local Governmen (DILG) Secretary Eduardo M. Año.

“I welcome the appointment of PLt Gen Eleazar who is very qualified for the job. Through a NAPOLCOM resolution, Eleazar was recommended to be the next Chief PNP based on seniority, merit, service reputation and competence to lead the Police Force. I expect PLt Gen Eleazar to lead the PNP Organization to greater heights amidst the pandemic during these challenging times,” the DILG chief said.

Eleazar also expressed his sincere gratitude to the DLG chief for “always believing in my capacity to lead the more than 220,000-strong Philippine National Police.”

“At higit sa lahat ay nagpapasalamat ako sa Panginooong Maykapal sa pambihirang pagkakataon na ibinigay niya sa akin upa ng pagsilbihan ang aking kapwa Pilipino,” he added.

Eleazar will be the 26th PNP chief and the 2nd from the PMA Class 1987 after Sinas.

A known disciplinarian who has developed a reputation for being very tough against rogues in uniform, drug traffickers and other criminals, Eleazar will be the 4th former National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief to head the PNP under the Duterte administration.

Before him, the other former NCRPO chiefs who became PNP chief since Duterte won the presidency in 2016 were Gen. Oscar D. Albayalde and Gen. Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan, both members of PMA ‘Sinagtala’ Class of 1986 and Sinas.

Eleazar also used to be a Quezon City Police District director and commander of the Police Regional Office 4-A in Calabarzon region before he was designated Metro Manila police chief in 2019.

He went on to become the PNP Chief Directorial Staff, PNP Deputy Chief for Operations and concurrent commander of the Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield and later PNP Deputy Chief for Administration and concurrent commander of the Administrative Support for Joint COIVD-19 Task Force.

Eleazar,55, will be retiring from the PNP this coming November 13.

Sinas calls on men to give 100 percent support to Eleazar

Sinas yesterday called on his men to close ranks behind Eleazar.

“I urge you to give my classmate, Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo T Eleazar, the same 100 percent support you gave during the past six months under my watch,” Sinas said on the heels of his retirement on May 8, 2021 when he shall reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 years old.

Sinas will formally relinquish the top PNP post to Eleazar in a traditional change of command ceremonies in Camp Crame today, Friday, to be presided over by Sec. Año.

“Every Chief PNP appointed to the post carries with him the full trust and confidence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, therefore, he deserves the unqualified support of all the officers and personnel under his command. What is important is that there is continuity of command to sustain the momentum to carry out institutional programs and policies. It has been probably the longest six months tour of duty we have served together to accomplish our mission for the Filipino people. And I honestly believe we have been able to deliver more than what we promised to the President and the Filipino people, because everyone stood by me, from the ranking officers in the headquarters to the last beat patroller in the streets,” said Sinas.

Sinas and Eleazar belong to the illustrious PMA Class 1987 along with the two other members of the PNP Command Group: PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, Lieutenant Gen. Joselito M. Vera Cruz and PNP The Chief Directorial Staff, Lt. Gen. Israel Ephraim T. Dickson.

Eleazar graduated Cum Laude as Top 4 in the order of merit of PMA Class 1987.

Upon graduation from PMA, Eleazar saw action in Southern Luzon at the height of the communist insurgency during the late 80’s when he was assigned to intelligence and combat operations duties as Junior Officer of Philippine Constabulary Companies in Laguna and Cavite, and Commanding Officer of the Special Action Company of the Southern Tagalog Regional Special Action Force.

He later volunteered for an international peace-keeping mission as Civilian Police under the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC), and returned to theater of operations in Southern Tagalog Region as Intelligence and Operations Officer of the 4th Regional Office of the Highway Patrol Group, where he was instrumental in the neutralization of notorious carjacking and highway robbery groups in the region.

As a field-grade officer, Eleazar served as Chief of Police of San Pedro, Laguna; Provincial Officer of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Batangas and Laguna; and Chief Investigator of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER), the forerunner of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group where he figured prominently in the neutralization of various kidnap-for-ransom groups.

His exposure in the field of investigation and operations during his stint in PACER further led to his designation as the CIDG Regional Chief in Central Luzon and Central Visayas, where he waged a relentless campaign against organized crime groups and other threat groups in these regions.

At the National Headquarters, he was assigned to various administrative positions in the Directorate for Logistics and Directorate for Comptrollership where he would further hone his managerial skills in logistics and finance.

He later took command of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group and lead the PNP’s campaign against online sexual exploitation of children, and internet-based fraud and criminal activity.

In 2016, he took the helm of the Quezon City Police District where he waged relentless anti-crime and anti-illegal drug operations that led to the arrest of notorious street criminals; dismantling of notorious robbery-holdup groups; and arrest and neutralization of drug targets including rogue police personnel involved in crime. Under his leadership, QCPD was recognized in a survey commissioned by NAPOLCOM as the “most trusted Police District in NCRPO”.

He was eventually elevated to positions of greater responsibility as PNP Regional Director for CALABARZON and Metro Manila.

In the PNP higher echelon at the PNP Command Group, Eleazar served with distinction as The Deputy Chief for Operations where he concurrently headed the Joint Task Force COVID Shield as the law enforcement and public safety arm of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Managaement of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID).

As Deputy Chief for Administration and PNP 2nd in command, he led the Administrative Support to COVID-19 Operations Task Force (ASCOTF) tasked with coordinating all PNP administrative actions in support to police operational response to COVID-19, from law enforcement and public safety operations, PNP medical and healthcare interventions, and treatment and vaccination.

Born to a World War 2 veteran father, Eleazar hails from Tagkawayan, Quezon and is a product of the public school system.