Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Saturday said he will submit to President Rodrigo Duterte the shortlist of candidates for the country's top cop post on the last week of August.
“I will submit the list around the last week of August…More or less three to five names,” Año said.
He said all officers of PNP with star-rank can be considered for the post which will be vacated by Gen. Archie Gamboa upon his retirement on September 2.
“All three-star ranks are candidates and are priority in choice. (But) it depends on President Duterte because even up to one-star rank, he can choose,” he added.
Among the possible contenders for PNP chief are Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, deputy chief for administration and head of the Administrative Support to COVID-19 Operations Task Force (ASCOTF); Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, deputy chief for operations and commander of the Joint Task Force Covid Shield; and Lt. Gen. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, chief of the PNP directorial staff.
Cascolan, a batchmate of Gamboa in the Philippine Military Academy, will mandatorily retire upon turning 56 in November.
Meanwhile, Binag and Eleazar, who are both from PMA Class 1987, will retire in April and November 2021, respectively.