President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to choose his first Philippine National Police chief, the Department of the Interior and Local Governments said Sunday, belying reports that a new top cop has already been named.
Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos thumbed down reports that Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, the deputy chief for administration, has been chosen as the next PNP chief.
“This is not true and the matter is being discussed,” Abalos told a state news agency.
Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., deputy chief for operations, has been the officer-in-charge of the 225,000-strong police force since Gen. Dionardo Carlos retired on May 6.
Sermonia, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1989, is set to step down in January 2024 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
On the other hand, Danao, of Class of 1991, has one more year in service before he retires in August 2023.
Other possible candidates for the PNP top post are Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., Area Police Command-Northern Luzon chief; Maj. Gen. Valeriano De Leon, director for operations; Maj. Gen Felipe Natividad, National Capital Regional Police Office chief; and Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., director of the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao.
Azurin and De Leon belong to PMA Class of 1989, while Natividad is a member of Class of 1990. Acorda graduated from the PMA in 1991.