Duterte, Quiboloy arrest enforcer is new PNP chief
Ending a 34-year practice of naming graduates of the Philippine Military Academy as the nation’s top cop, President Marcos appointed Police Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III – who led the arrests of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and evangelist Apollo Quiboloy – as the new chief of the 228,000-strong Philippine National Police.
Torre, 54, will be the first alumnus of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to take over the PNP once its current chief, Police Gen. Rommel Marbil, steps down on June 2 after his term was extended when he reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 last February.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced the President’s decision to pick Torre, who is currently chief of the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
Bersamin declined to tell reporters why Torre was the President’s choice, saying that such details were “confidential” and was an “inscrutable” decision that no one could question.
“We should respect that confidentiality. But it’s the President’s discretion which I consider to be absolute,” he told Palace reporters.
“All promotions are rewards, but most promotions are given on merit. So, let’s assume that this was given on merit,” he said.
Torre appeared to be overwhelmed by the congratulatory messages that he received.
“Thank you for all your support,” Torre said on his Facebook page. “Text po muna at umuusok na phone ko. Salamat po! (Let’s use text for now as my phone is heating up. Thank you!),” he said.
PNPA trailblazer
Born on March 11, 1971, in Jolo, Sulu, Torre will serve as PNP chief for one year and nine months until 2027, or when he turns 56.
Torre has the distinction of being the first alumni of the PNPA to reach the top of the PNP hierarchy.
He was already in his final years in an engineering course at Mapua Institute of Technology in Manila when he decided to enroll in the PNPA where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Safety degree in 1993.
The last batch of PMA alumni holding top posts in the PNP is the PMA “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992.
Bersamin did not identify the four other contenders for PNP chief. The Inquirer found at least five three-star or lieutenant generals, or officers more senior than Torre.
They are Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., 54, the PNP deputy chief for administration; Police Lt. Gen. Robert Rodriguez, 56, deputy chief for operations; Police Lt. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo, 55, chief of the directorial staff; Police Lt. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr., 55, commander of Eastern Mindanao; and Police Lt. Gen. Bernard Banac, chief of the police command in Western Mindanao.
Tagged as ‘Devil’
It was as CIDG chief that Torre led the arrest of Duterte on March 11, one of the two high profile arrests of his career. The former President was wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity for the thousands killed during his drug war.
Months earlier when Torre was Davao regional police chief, he led the operation to arrest Duterte’s spiritual adviser, Quiboloy, the televangelist who is accused of sexually abusing minors and qualified trafficking.
Ignoring the taunts from Quiboloy’s followers and supporters who called him “Devil,” Torre used his engineering background to look for the pastor inside his compound.
When the building officials in Davao City refused to show him the floor plans of KOJC buildings to help in the search for Quiboloy, Torre and a team of engineers, studied and even drew up the floor plans of buildings to make educated guesses to locate the fugitive pastor.
True enough, Quiboloy and his co-accused emerged from one of the buildings after it was heavily surrounded by Special Action Force (SAF) troopers. The self-appointed Son of God surrendered and was arrested on June 16. 2024, after 16-day standoff.
Earlier postings
Before these high-profile operations, Torre had served as chief of the Samar Provincial Police Office and as deputy director for operations of the National Capital Region Police Office.
Torre also served as police chief for a year in Quezon City, where he gained recognition for implementing the “three-minute response time” by officers to crimes and emergencies in the city.
He voluntarily resigned in August 2023 after receiving public rebuke on social media for giving “special treatment” to a dismissed police officer involved in a road rage incident.
Torre was criticized for hosting a press conference for the ex-policeman, who pulled a gun on a bicycle rider with whom he had an altercation.
Torre was later appointed as head of the PNP Communications and Electronics Service.
Torre had previously served as police chief of Mabalacat City in Pampanga, Batangas City in Batangas, and several posts in the MIMAROPA and Eastern Visayas Police Regional Offices and at the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame.
Cheered at House
Members of the House of Representatives led by Speaker Martin Romualdez welcomed Torre’s appointment on Thursday, hailing him as a no-nonsense leader who was capable of carrying out important missions.
“He is a principled and fearless officer, the kind of leader the PNP needs to restore credibility, enforce the law without fear or favor, and protect the Filipino people with professionalism and respect,” Romualdez said.
Members of the so-called Young Guns bloc in the House said Torre’s appointment was a step toward a more accountable and professional law enforcement institution.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, Zambales Rep. Jay Khonghun, La Union Rep. Paolo Francisco Ortega V, 1RIDER Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, and Manila Rep. Ernest “Ernix” Dionisio said they were “fully and 100%” behind the President’s decision to appoint Torre as PNP chief.
Congresswoman-elect Leila de Lima of Mamamayang Liberal party-list said Torre was going to lead the PNP “at a time when the country yearns for institutions that serve with integrity, uphold the rule of law, and protect the rights and safety of every Filipino.” —WITH REPORTS FROM GERMELINA LACORTE AND INQUIRER RESEARCH
