
Fully empower or dissolve area police commands
I’M giving this recommendation amid the proposed PNP Reorganization Plan which will officially give all five PNP Area Police Commands full power to supervise the campaign against insurgency, terrorism and other internal security threats, and most of all, supported with a yearly budget without literally ‘begging for alms’ from others.
Without being empowered, ranking PNP officials have told me that these APCs will be just ‘duplicating/replicating’ the functions of the Police Regional Office directors across the country. At present, we have five APCs operating in the country: the APC Northern Luzon; APC Southern Luzon, APC Visayas, APC Eastern Mindanao and APC Western Mindanao.
The APC-Northern Luzon, the biggest of them all with four police regional offices under its supervision, is headed by Major General Jon Arnaldo, a classmate of PNP chief, General Benjie Acorda from PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991. The promotion to the rank of Lieutenant General of Arnaldo however has been delayed. He will be retiring on October 3, 2024 and most probably would be one of the officials to get a 1-year extension in the service once Congress finally approves a law adjusting the retirement age of uniformed police personnel to 57.
APC-Southern Luzon is headed by Lt. Gen. Rod Armamento, a member of PNP Academy Class 1990. Currently the highest-ranked Lakan in the police force, Armamento will be retiring from the PNP on June 30 next year.
APC-Western Mindanao is headed by Major Gen. Jonnel Estomo of PMA ‘Tanglaw-Diwa’ Class of 1992. Just like Arnaldo, the former NCRPO director’s promotion to 3-star general has also been delayed. Designated to his present position last August 10, Estomo will retire from the police force on November 25, 2024.
At present, there are still no commanders of the two remaining APCs just like the Police Regional Office 4-B in Mimaropa region. APC-Visayas commander, Lt. Gen. Patrick Villacorte and APC-Eastern Mindanao commander, Lt. Gen. Filmore Escobal have already retired last November 25 and 5 respectively with their deputies named as OICs temporarily.
Both also members of PMA Class 1991, Villacorte headed his former post since November 28 last year while Escobal commanded APC-Eastern Mindanao since November 4, 2023 until his retirement.
Erstwhile PRO4-B director Brigadier Gen. Joel Doria of PNPA ‘Tagapagpatupad’ Class of 1992 retired last December 10 after heading the Mimaropa police force since last March 17.
I heard from a senior PNP general last Friday that new commanders of APCs Visayas and Eastern Mindanao and the Mimaropa police force will be named very soon.
APCs are filled with 3rd-Level Officers with its commander a 3-star general, its Deputy a Major General and its Executive Officer a Brigadier General. Many of its division chiefs are also full-fledged Colonels. There was a time that all APCs or DIPOs are housed in a small building in Camp Crame, meaning there were 15 star-rank officers and so many colonels in that cramped area.
Under the proposed PNP Reorganization Plan, the five existing Area Police Commands will be officially recognized by Congress and fully empowered to help support the PNP chief in in supervising the force’s campaign against insurgency, terrorism and other internal security threats.
As proposed, a new Section 25-B will be inserted in Republic Act No. 6975 otherwise known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 in order to enhance the control of the Chief of the PNP in the country.
It says that Area Police Commands shall be established in Clustered Police Regional Offices. The APC shall orchestrate, supervise and control the conduct of inter-regional operations against insurgency, terrorism and other internal security threats.
Further, the APC shall likewise conduct search, rescue and relief operations in times and calamities and other emergency situations within their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Finally, the APC shall support the Police Regional Offices in the conduct of inter-regional anti-criminality operations and investigation.
For this purpose, the APCs shall have administrative and operational control over the existing Regional Mobile Force Battalions within their respective areas of responsibility subject to the exercise of the power of delegation of authority of the Chief of the PNP and strict compliance to the doctrine of Chain of Command.
Initially, five APCS shall be activated namely Northern Luzon Area Police Command, Southern Luzon Area Police Command, Visayas Area Police Command, Eastern Mindanao Area Police Command and Western Mindanao Area Police Command.
To enhance police operational efficiency and effectiveness, the Chief of the PNP may constitute, modify or merge APCs as may be necessary subject to the approval of the National Police Commission: Provided that no APC headed by a Police Brigadier General or higher can be created unless provided for by law.
Prior to that, there have been controversy over the creation of these APCs which were formerly known as PNP Directorates for Integrated Police Operations since they were established in 2009 without the approval of Congress.
For so many years, these five DIPOs also became known for being either the ‘dumping ground’ of police generals who have been relieved from their former posts or colonels who just stay there simply because they have no choice or want to get a promotion until a number of PNP chiefs during the former Duterte administration decided to make them more active in the peace and order campaign by giving them more authority over police regional offices under their watch.