MANY officials have dismissed rumors about a supposed destabilization plot against the 16-month old administration of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. but again, I would like to call the attention of the Commander-in-Chief regarding a demoralization sweeping the Officers Corps of the Philippine National Police.

For the information of the Chief Executive, I have been talking with so many 2nd-Level and 3rd-Level Officers of the police force who are crying foul over their delayed promotion, with some of them set to retire next year, or maybe some of them retired already without getting their much-deserved increase in rank and pay.

What is clear and understandable here is that these ‘demoralized police officials’ have been ranting about the move by some of the President’s men to block their promotion although some have passed their scrutiny and their papers are now reportedly being processed.

What is clear here, the ‘demoralized police officials’ told me is that the promotion process in the PNP is really working although some people assigned in other government offices are delaying them for still unknown reasons. “We don’t know if some of them are helping the President or are just sabotaging the Palace,” one star-rank official told me.

With PNP chief, General Benjie Acorda Jr. set to retire this coming December 3, the officials told me that the top cop still has one ‘unfinished business’ with regard to the long-relayed promotion of many of his officials, some of them star-rank officers.

Some of the 3rd-Level Officials said that if only they can, they want to have a dialog with PBBM, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Senate President Migz Zubiri and Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin to air their grievance since they believe that the promotion process still works but only benefit some of their colleagues, underclassmen included.

Supposed to be, a new Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao commander should have been named last week to replace newly-retired Lieutenant Gen. Filmore Escobal, a classmate of Gen. Acorda from PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991. However, some police major generals qualified to take over his post literally have ‘declined’ the post being offered to them due to the uncertainty of being promoted.

Unless the issue is resolved, the same is also expected to happen when APC-Visayas commander, Lt. Gen. Patrick Villacorte retires from the police force this coming November 28. Villacorte is also a member of PMA Class1991. However, I learned that literally there are ‘no takers’ for the top APC posts due to the promotion issue. That’s true and easily understandable since why should a general take over a post where his promotion is uncertain.

For the information of the public, the promotion issue raised by the National Police Commission citing so-called ‘regular and irregular assignments in the PNP’ has affected a number of police generals who should have been already been promotion.

For one, PNP The Chief Directorial Staff, Major Gen. Emmanuel Peralta who is also a PMA Class 1991 member should have been already promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General since he has occupied the 4th highest PNP position since last May. However, the promotion issue raised by the Napolcom has become a big problem of Peralta who had already marked his 55th birthday last August 24.

That means Peralta is yet to get his 3rd-star six months after he became the PNP-TCDS last May 8. The same thing has also happened to a number of PMA Class 1991 and PMA ‘Tanglaw-Diwa’ Class 1992 members who are also yet to be promoted although their position outrightly calls for their promotion to the next higher rank.

Among them are PNP Director for Operations, Brigadier Gen. Leo Francisco of PMA Class 1992 who occupied the post last May 8; PNP Director for Comptrollership, Brig. Gen. Rommel Marbil of PMA Class 1991 who assumed the post last May 2; PNP Director for Human Resource and Docrine Development, Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee who occupied the post last June 23; as well as PNP Director for Intelligence, Brig. Gen. Robert Morico of PNPA ‘Tagapagpatupad’ Class of 1992 and PNP Director for Plans, Brig. Gen. Neil Alinsañgan, another PMA Class 1991 member who both assumed their respective posts last August 24.

Another is Maj. Gen. Jon Arnaldo of PMA Class 1991 who was designated as Area Police Command-Northern Luzon director last August 24; APC -Western Mindanao director, Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo of PMA Class 1992 who got the post last August 10; PNP Civil Security Group director, Brig. Gen. Benjie Silo who assumed the top PNP-CSG post last March 17;

PNP Headquarters Support Service director, Colonel Tony Marallag of PNPA Class 1994 who assumed the post last May 18; PNP Academy director, Brig. Gen. Sam Nacion of PNPA Class 1992 who got the post last June 26; PNP Training Service director, Col. Radel Ramos of PNPA Class 1995 who assumed the post last April 14; PNP Information and Communication Technology Management director, Col. Jerich Royales of PNPA Class 1992 who got the post last January 6;

PNP Intelligence Group director, Col. Romeo Macapaz of PNPA Class 1995 who got the position last March 17; Police Security and Protection Group director, Col. Roger Simon of PNPA Class 1995 who assumed the post last August 4; PNP Drug Enforcement Group director, Col. Dionisio Bartolome of PNPA Class 1995 who got the post last July 14; and of course, NCRPO director, Brig. Gen. Tateng Nartatez of PMA Class 1992 who is yet get his 2nd-star more than five months after becoming the Metro Manila police director last June 26.

For the information of everybody, the delayed promotion of the above-named officials have also caused much delay in the promotion of other young officials. In the case of the APC commanders, their Deputies and Executive Officers are also yet to be promoted.

It’s the same with the other PNP Directorial Staff and Police Regional Offices and other operating units. Add to them the large number of PNP Lieutenant Colonels whose promotion to Full-Fledged Colonel have long been delayed as a result of the issues raised by the Napolcom.

These 2nd-Level Officials have really been experiencing demoralization due to their much-delayed promotion, some of them waiting for their promotion since January this year while majority were supposed to be promoted last June. The matter promoted the affected officials to sign a manifesto calling on the Palace to do something about their long-delayed promotion.

“In the interest of the service and recognition of the valuable contributions of officers who have sacrificed the better days of their lives serving as guardians of the people, it is only proper to recognize them through promotion. However, the halted promotion of the deserving third level officers caused demoralization on their part. Hence, there is a need to urgently address the foregoing issues and the plight of the officers on the promotion in order to stop the continuing demoralization and to prevent the occurrence of a destabilization plot,” part of the manifesto sent to me said.

As I have pointed out in previous columns, word is out in Camp Crame that the promotion of 3rd-Level Officers has been delayed due to issues raised by the Napolcom regarding the so-called ‘Regular Promotion’ which refers to officials that automatically earn a promotion as they occupy positions created by the PNP law vis-à-vis those so-called ‘Irregular Promotion’ or officials that could be promoted to the next higher rank as they occupy positions created as a result of previous Napolcom resolutions.

The ‘Irregular Promotion,’ according to Napolcom Vice-Chairman Alberto Bernardo includes the five PNP Directorates for Integrated Police Operations and other PNP National Operational and Administrative Support Units supposed to be headed by 2-Star and 1-Star generals which were previously not included in the original PNP Law. This has been the bone of contention of the current Napolcom administration which has affected the ‘regular promotion’ in the force.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Alfred P. Dalizon