Police Lieutenant Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. assumed command of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in a surprise ceremony presided over by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor ‘Jonvic’ Remulla on Tuesday, August 26.
Nartatez replaced erstwhile PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III, who has yet to address the issue and was nowhere to be found during the turnover rites at national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Torre was last seen in public attending the National Heroes Day activities at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Monday, August 25, with President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and other government officials. But he could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.
Remulla said he tried to get in touch with Torre, but he seemed to have refused to take his calls although he “acknowledged the order.”
“I have tried to get in touch with him (Torre). I made five phone calls last night, I think he was at dinner, but he was duly informed. He was properly informed of the decision of the President,” the DILG chief said.
The turnover of command for the new PNP chief came just a few hours after news broke that Torre was relieved from his post. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin signed the order by authority of the President and was later announced in a press conference by Remulla.
“The Palace affirms that President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. has made the difficult but necessary decision to relieve PNP Chief P/Gen. Nicolas Torre III of his duties. The President believes that his national security apparatus must always work within the framework of the law,” Remulla said.
The DILG chief cited Torre’s controversial reshuffle, which affected ranking PNP officials including Nartatez, among the reasons behind this development. Remulla said Torre’s order was not approved by the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and this factored in the President’s decision.
“With the recent developments, the President was presented with the facts and he determined that the best course of action is to uphold the role of Napolcom as it was intended by law. As part of this resolution, the President decided to relieve Gen. Torre,” Remulla explained.
Nartatez was previously serving as the PNP Deputy Chief for Administration, also known as the second highest-ranking policeman. Torre reassigned him to work as Area Police Commander for Western Mindanao, which Napolcom disapproved.
Remulla denied reports that he had a rift with Torre because of this issue, leading to his ouster in the organization. He had positive words to describe his working relationship with the former PNP chief and said Nartatez is expected to pick up where Torre left off in the police force.
“This was not an easy choice, but it was made in the national interest. The President is committed to ensuring a unified direction and collaboration across all areas in his Cabinet, particularly those responsible for delivering security, peace, and order,” Remulla said.
