Philippine National Police

LIST: Who will be the next PNP chief after mañanita cop Sinas?

Jairo Bolledo

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

LIST: Who will be the next PNP chief after mañanita cop Sinas?

Who is the next PNP Chief?

Rappler File Photo

Debold Sinas – who was named top cop after his infamous birthday party where health protocols were violated – retires as PNP chief on May 8. Four names are being floated to replace him.

The successor of retiring controversial Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Debold Sinas will be named in a few days. 

Secretary Eduardo Año, whose Department of the Interior and Local Government directly supervises the police, said he would submit to President Rodrigo Duterte the list of contenders for the next PNP chief by April 30. 

Sinas, who surprised everyone in 2020 when he bypassed the two highest-ranking police officers in the country, is set to retire on May 8. Sinas outshined both of his classmates: second-in-command Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar and then-third-in-command Lieutenant General Cesar Binag. 

With Sinas, Duterte set aside the seniority factor in appointing the country’s top cop. 

Who will the President choose as his 6th PNP chief. Who will next lead an organization, whose response to the pandemic under Sinas has been marked by officers brutally dealing with ordinary Filipinos who violate health protocols, while unable to stem the killings of individuals red-tagged by government forces?

Here is the list of contenders for the top post of the 200,000-strong PNP:

Eleazar: Only 6 months left

Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar, who is the PNP’s deputy chief for administration, is the second highest-ranking police officer in the country. 

In 2020, he was also on the list of police officers who were considered to replace then-PNP chief Archie Gamboa. If chosen now to replace Sinas, Eleazar would only have 6 months to serve because he is set to retire on November 13. 

Prior to being the second in command, Eleazar was the No. 3 cop or the PNP’s deputy chief for operations and also the commander of the Joint Task Force COVID-19 Shield, the main law enforcement unit of the government in this pandemic. 

Unlike previous PNP chiefs, Eleazar has no direct relationship with President Duterte. However, he belongs to the now-ruling Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Hinirang Class of 1987, along with the Sinas. 

Even if Eleazar will only have half a year to serve if chosen by Duterte, he will still have a longer term than former PNP chief Camilo Cascolan, who only served for two months.

Danao: The Davao boy

Brigadier General Vicente Danao, the current chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), is one of President Duterte’s most trusted policemen. 

Danao is considered as a “Davao boy” because he has direct connection to Duterte after serving as the police chief of Davao City when Duterte was mayor. 

Before his appointment as the NCRPO director, Danao headed the Calabarzon police. He also served as the district director of the Manila Police District from May to October 2019. 

Danao belongs to the PMA Sambisig Class of 1991, along with PNP Davao Region director Police Brigadier General Filmore Escobal. 

As the current NCRPO chief, Danao has a good chance of being appointed. Other NCRPO heads before him had been appointed PNP chief: Oscar Albayalde, Camilo Cascolan, and Sinas. 

Danao will retire in August 2023.

Vera Cruz: Another one from PMA Class 1987

Police Lieutenant General Joselito Vera Cruz was named PNP deputy chief for operations only last April 20, making him the 3rd in command. He is the concurrent commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID-19 Shield. 

Prior to his designation as deputy chief for operations, Vera Cruz served as the chief of directorial staff, the 4th highest rank among the policemen. 

In 2020, he was designated as the head of the PNP Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Management after serving as chief of the Integrated Police Operations in Western Mindanao.

Vera Cruz belongs to the PMA Hinirang Class of 1987, along with Sinas, his predecessor Binag, and Eleazar.

He will retire in March 2022.

Dickson: Cordillera’s anti-rebel campaigner

Police Lieutenant General Israel Ephraim Dickson is the 4th in command or the chief directorial staff of the PNP. 

Prior to this, he was the head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations-Northern Luzon. 

In February 2020, Dickson served as the acting director of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Visayas. Afterwards, he was appointed by then-PNP chief Cascolan as the head of the PNP Civil Security Group. 

He was also assigned to the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management office of PNP in September 2020. 

Before holding key positions in the national headquarters, Dickson, who is from the Tingguian tribe of Abra, served as the director of PNP Cordillera, and advanced the regional command’s campaign against rebels. Dickson was also one of the top officials who handled the case of PMA Cadet Fourth Class Darwin Dormitorio, who died of hazing inside the military campus. 

Dickson, however, was involved in controversy. During the 2019 midterm election, he was accused of inspecting the vote-counting machine and other election paraphernalia at the Comelec warehouse in Baguio City. Under the Commission on Elections rules, no person, except the Comelec’s designated representative, has the authority to inspect the machines. 

Dickson clarified that he was not inspecting the election paraphernalia, but rather the policemen deployed in the area. 

Dickson also belongs to the PMA Class of 1987, along with Vera Cruz, Eleazar, and Sinas.

He is set to retire in March 2022. – Rappler.com

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!
Avatar photo

author

Jairo Bolledo

Jairo Bolledo is a multimedia reporter at Rappler covering justice, police, and crime.