The National Police Commission (Napolcom) welcomed Friday the appointment and swearing in of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III as the new General Manager of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Torre has formally taken his oath as the MMDA general manager before Executive Secretary Ralph Recto in a ceremony held at the latter’s office on December 26, 2025.
This development paves the way for Torre’s successor, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., to officially claim the four-star rank in the PNP hierarchy and serve the organization full-time, not in acting capacity, according to NAPOLCOM Vice-Chairperson and Executive Officer Rafael Vicente Calinisan.
“This (Torre’s appointment) is a very welcome development as this paves the way for Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. to get his well-deserved four-star rank, which accompanies his original appointment as Chief of the Philippine National Police,” Calinisan said.
“This provides that much needed clarity in the PNP, as Nartatez has full operational accountability and leadership responsibilities for months now,” he added.
Calinisan also pointed out that since Torre accepted the position, he is no longer part of the PNP as he will be “ipso facto” (by that very fact) resigned.
The NAPOLCOM head said he looks forward to President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. donning the fourth star and rank of General, as well as full-fledged PNP chief title to Nartatez, commending him for his leadership and professional commitment to the police force.
Torre was PNP chief from June 2 to August 26, 2025 or a period of 85 days, making him the shortest-serving top cop. He was relieved of his duties after the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Napolcom disagreed with his reorganization of the PNP.
As MMDA general manager, Torre is expected to work closely with incumbent chairman Romando Artes in running the organization tasked with planning, coordinating and implementing state-funded services for the National Capital Region.
