The National Police Commission has recommended to President Rodrigo Duterte the promotion of acting Metro Manila police director Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar to the next police rank of director.
If granted, it would pave the way for Eleazar, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Hinirang Class of 1987, to assume the NCRPO leadership in a full-time capacity.
The police director rank is equivalent to the rank of a two-star general (major general) in the Armed Forces.
The Commission en banc headed by Department of the Interior and Local Government secretary and Napolcom chairman Eduardo Año made the recommendation last July 23.
Napolcom vice chairman and Executive Officer lawyer Rogelio Casurao said that aside from the recommendation, the Commission certified that Eleazar met all the requirements for promotion to the rank of police director.
Eleazar was barely two months into his post as Regional Director of Police Regional Office 4-A when he was ordered to lead the NCRPO on June 1, replacing Oscar Albayalde, now the director of the Philippine National Police.
He also served as head of the Quezon City Police District prior to his appointment as Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) police chief.
When Eleazar assumed the post at the NCRPO, the number of crime incidents in Metro Manila went down.
Eleazar attributed the significant accomplishment to the NCRPO’s continuing war on drugs campaign and other factors.
The NCRPO also arrested and jailed 48,886 individuals while 1,590 were neutralized during various police operations.
“Evidently, the less number of drug addicts on the street equates to lesser criminal activities and criminal incidents. The drug addicts as expected will always find ways to get money in order to satisfy their physical and psychological craving on illegal drugs,” Eleazar said.
He added “To some extent, they are forced to steal, rob shops and innocent people on the streets, barge into homes, in worst cases have to assault, hurt and even kill their victims to get money to buy illegal drugs. Consequently, the government’s effort to intensify its campaign against illegal drugs through the PNP has been an effective tool to lessen such crime.”
Eleazar also attributed the latest accomplishment to the serious Internal Cleansing Policy led by former PNP chief Ronaldo dela Rosa and now aggressively pursued by his successor Oscar Albayalde which has been a driving force in eradicating erring cops.
