I’m referring to the retirement of the erstwhile PNP Deputy Chiefs for Administration and Operations, Lieutenant Generals Jojo Vera Cruz and Bong Dickson which triggered a major reshuffle of top positions in the 225,000-strong police force, affecting officers from different source of commission in the force weeks before the May 9 national and local elections.

Vera Cruz and Dickson, my teammate at the PNP Executive Basketball Team who is known for his sharpshooting skills actually became the last two members of Philippine Military Academy ‘Hinirang’ Class of 1987 to retire from the police force. Vera Cruz marked his 56th birthday yesterday, March 8 while Dickson opted to go on non-duty status prior to his March 27 retirement.

The retirement of the two members of PMA Class 1987 which produced two PNP chiefs in the person of Generals Debold Sinas and now senatorial candidate, Gen. Gilor Eleazar, brought anew the fact that at the end of the month, there will only be some 50 members of PMA Class 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991 and 1992 who will still be serving in the police organization although the active days of some of them are already numbered.

Consider this: the five remaining members of PMA ‘Maringal’ Class of 1988 in the PNP led by Gen. Dionards Carlos will also be retiring middle of this year. The top cop will retire on May 8 while new PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, Lt. Gen. Ferdie Divina will retire on May 2.

The two other 3-star generals, Lt. Gen. Marni Marcos, currently the Area Police Commander in Northern Luzon will retire this coming April 22 while the youngest of them, Lt. Gen. Joel Balba, the Area Police commander in Visayas region will retire on June 11. On the other hand, the 5th and the 2nd youngest of them, the shy and unassuming PNP Director for Personnel and Records Management, Major Gen. Jun Tadeo will retire in May 24.

The decision of Lt. Gen. Dickson to go on non-duty status ahead of his March 27 retirement triggered another reshuffle of the PNP with Gen. Carlos designating Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia as the new PNP-DCA and Lt. Gen. Divina as the new PNP-DCO. It also opened renewed speculations on who are the real top contenders to replace Gen. Carlos in the event he is not given an extended term by President Duterte. However, it is also widely believed that many dynamics in the organization will be considered in such a move, politics included since there will be a new Commander-in-Chief this coming June 30.

Sermonia, the youngest member of PMA ‘Makatao’ Class of 1989 who will be retiring on January 26, 2024, is now officially the 2nd highest police official in the country followed by Lt. Gen. Divina. The 4th is erstwhile NCRPO director, Major Gen. Vic Danao, a member of PMA ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991 who will be retiring on August 10, 2023. Danao will be getting his 3rd-star with his designation as PNP The Chief Directorial Staff or TCDS, the 4th highest PNP position.

Maj. Gen. Pipoy Natividad of PMA ‘Bigkis Lahi’ Class of 1990 and his mistah, incoming Maj. Gen. Ely Cruz are also the new NCRPO director in Metro Manila and PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director respectively. Natividad will retire on August 23, 2023 while Cruz will reach his mandatory retirement age on June 14 of the same year.

Brig. Gen. Patrick Villacorte, another PMA Class 1991 member is now the new PNP Special Action Force director vice Maj. Gen. Natividad. Villacorte, a former PNP-SAF commando who will earn his 2nd-star with his new position will retire on November 28, 2023.

Erstwhile PNP Director for Comptrollership, Maj. Gen. Jun. Azurin, another PMA Class 1989 member who will retire from the police force on April 26, 2023 on the other hand will get his 3rd-star as the new PNP Area Police Command-Southern Luzon commander vice Lt. Gen. Divina.

Azurin was replaced by erstwhile PNP Command Center chief, Brig. Gen. Benjie Santos Jr., another PMA Class 1991 member who will retire on October 9, 2023. Santos will get his 2nd-star with his new position. He was replaced by Brig. Gen. Francis Cariaga of PNP Academy Class 1992.

Brig. Gen. Harris Fama of PNPA Class 1990 also took over as the new PNP Information Communications Technology Management director vice Brig. Gen. Benjie Silo Jr., an officer who joined the PNP in 1990 thru lateral entry and now the new Police Regional Office 11 director in Southern Mindanao.

Another PNPA Class 1991 member, Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn on the other hand replaced Brig. Gen. Villacorte as director of the PNP Communications and Electronics Service. Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta, the erstwhile Police Regional Office 1 director in Ilocos-Pangasinan region was replaced by Brig. Gen. Patrick Obinque, a member of PMA ‘Tanglaw Diwa’ Class of 1992 and the erstwhile Senior Police Assistant to the DILG chief. Peralta is now the new PNP Deputy Director for Human Resource and Doctrine Development.

Silo replaced Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal of PMA Class 1991 who was designated as the new Deputy Director of the PNP Area Police Command-Eastern Mindanao, a position that will give him his 2nd-star.

Fama, the erstwhile PNP Deputy Director for Police-Community Relations was replaced by Brig. Gen. Arnel Amor Libed, also of PNPA Class 1991 while Brig. Gen. Jack Alva of PNPA Class 1992 is now the new Executive Officer of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management. Alva traded position with Brig. Gen. John G Guyguyon of PNPA Class 1991.

Former Davao City Police Office director, Colonel Kirby Kraft of PNPA Class 1994 was also named as new PNP-SAF deputy director, a position that will earn him his star-rank. Kraft replaced Brig. Gen. Telio C. Ngis-O of PNPA Class 1991 who was reassigned to the Office of the Chief,PNP prior to his retirement this coming March 22.

Brig. Gen. Remus Zacharias Canieso of PNPA Class 1989 is now the acting deputy commander of the Area Police Command-Visayas vice Gen. Cruz while Maj. Gen. Joseph Gohel of PMA Class 1989 was named as deputy commander of the Area Police Command-Southern Luzon.

Col. Jonathan Cabal, another PNPA Class 1994 member is now also the new Executive Officer of the DPCR, a position that will also earn him his star-rank. Col. Salvador Alacyang, also of PNPA Class 1994 replaced the latter as the Deputy Regional Director for Operations of the PRO8 in Eastern Visayas.