I’M referring to the eight senior Philippine National Police officials who will be facing new challenges in their career and lead their men in real transformation after being named on Monday to positions of major responsibility by PNP chief, General Benjie Acorda.

The biggest challenge came however just before the eight were about to take their oath of office before PNP Deputy Chief for Administration, Lieutenant Gen. Rhodel Sermonia at the PNP Multi-Purpose Center in Camp Crame.

The mass turnover rites were supposed to be held at 11 a.m. but as the eight and their families waited, there came the news that it will be reset to 4 in the afternoon. Later, DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos issued a press statement that the PNP chief’s recommendations are subject first to confirmation by the National Police Commission and then approval by President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr.

Sec. Abalos explained that Sec. 6 (3) (f) of Napolcom Memorandum Circular No. 2019-001 provides, “The assignment/designation of the [concerned positions] shall be submitted to the Commission for confirmation prior to the submission of the same to the President for approval.”

He also noted that the Napolcom’s authority in this regard stems from Sec. 6, Art. XVI of the 1987 Constitution, which provides: “The State shall establish and maintain one police force, which shall be national in scope and civilian in character, to be administered and controlled by a national police commission.

Sec. Abalos added, “Civilian control over the police is a hallowed principle of our fundamental law. Rest assured that the Napolcom will carry out its duty to oversee and enhance the administration of the PNP.”

The DILG chief’s statement delayed the assumption of the eight generals led by Brigadier Gen. Tateng Nartatez, a no-nonsense officer who will be the last member of a Philippine Military Academy Class who will retire from the police force. I learned that Gen. Acorda was set to have a meeting with Sec. Abalos to settle the matter.

Described by many as a ‘PNP chief in-waiting,’ Nartatez of PMA ‘Tanglaw-Diwa’ Class of 1992 will retire from the police force on March 19, 2027. A friend since the late 90s, the soon-to-be Police Major General has distinguished himself in all his assignments.

Prior to being named as the new Metro Manila police chief, Nartatez also commanded the PNP Finance Service, the Police Regional Office 4-A in Calabarzon region, the PNP Directorate for Comptrollership and the PNP Directorate for Intelligence. The official is known as one of the few top PNP officials who hails from the ‘Solid North.’ He also used to be a director of the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office for the record.

He replaces Major Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, a member of PNP Academy ‘Tagapagpatupad’ Class of 1992 who has been named by Gen. Acorda as the new PNP Director for Police-Community Relations.

Retiring on May 21, 2026, Okubo made history when he became the first PNPA graduate to lead the elite PNP Special Action Force in August 2022 and later the NCRPO in March this year.

Okubo was behind the highly-popular Revitalized-Pulis s Barangay or R-PSB program of the PNP-SAF and now the NCRPO where police mingle with the ‘poorest of the poor’ to give them real government service they richly deserve.

He accomplished the R-PSB task while still the Deputy Regional Director for Administration of the Police Regional Office 11 in Southern Mindanao where he was tasked by its former director, now Lieutenant Gen. Filmore Escobal to spearhead their R-PSB program which has been cited by national leaders as a major instrument in winning the campaign against insurgency in Davao region.

Incidentally, a classmate of both Gen. Acorda and Lt. Gen. Escobal, now the Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao director from PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991 in the person of Major Gen. Jon Arnaldo will be the new PNP Director for Intelligence vice Nartatez.

Arnaldo, a former neighbor in Antipolo City is a veteran officer of the PNP-DI who will be up to the task of being the new top spook of the 228,000-strong police force. The silent and unassuming official will retire from the PNP on October 3, 2024.

Arnaldo’s erstwhile position as PNP Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development has been given to Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee ,a former PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director who was designated as PNP Deputy Director for Intelligence last January.

Also a member of PMA Class 1992 who will retire from the police force on May 5, 2025, Brig. Gen. Lee, also known as the ‘Ilocano’ Police General will finally earn his 2nd-star as PNP-DHRDD director. He failed to get his promotion papers when he was transferred from the PNP-CIDG to the PNP-DI and replaced by his classmate, now Maj. Gen. Bong Caramat.

Two other members of PMA Class 1992 will also occupy new posts on orders of Gen. Acorda. One of them is Maj. Gen. Mario Reyes, another Ilocano police official who has been named as the new PNP Director for Logistics.

Reyes used to be the PNP Director for Police-Community Relations. A former Bicol police director who will be retiring from the police force on December 1, 2024, Reyes is no stranger to the logistics office of the PNP since he used to be assigned in the unit.

His designation as the new top logistician of the PNP came 13 days after erstwhile PNP-DL director, Maj. Gen. Ronnie Olay of PMA ‘Bigkis-Lahi’ Class of 1990 retired. Olay’s classmate, Brig. Gen. Flynn Dongbo was designated as Officer-in-Charge of the PNP-DL following the retirement of the latter. Incidentally, Dongbo is one of the youngest members of PMA Class 1990 in the PNP as he will retire from the force on July 12, 2024.

Maj. Gen. Eric Noble, another PMA Class 1992 member is the new PNP Director for Investigation and Detective Management. He was named to his new post 12 days after erstwhile PNP-DIDM director, Maj. Gen. Ely Cruz, also of PMA Class 1990 retired from the service.

A former police attache in Washington DC and a Cebu police director, Noble will be bringing the many skills and knowledge he has learned from the service to the PNP-DIDM where he will be the new PNP’s top detective. Noble will retire from the force on January 16, 2024.

Taking over Noble’s position as PNPA director is Brig. Gen. Samuel Nacion, another silent but unassuming product of PNPA Class 1992. Nacion, a former PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group director will earn his 2nd-star at the PNP since he still has enough time to earn it. He will retire from the police force on September 9, 2024. Prior to his being designated as PNPA director, Nacion was the PNP-DIDM deputy director.

Last but not the least, Brig. Gen. Alan Nazarro of PNPA ‘Tagapagkalinga’ Class of 1991 was named as the new PNP Highway Patrol Group director vice his classmate, Brig. Gen. Raul Bargamento who retired from the force last Saturday.

Nazarro, formerly assigned at the PNP Directorate for Information Communications and Technology whose office is located just a few meters away from the PNP-HPG headquarters will retire from the PNP service on December 21, 2024. As the new PNP-HPG director, he will be the top ‘Guardian of the Highways’ who will be commanding the unit tasked to go after carjackers, highway robbers and hijackers.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon