President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to sustain the gains of its anti-crime initiatives as he confirmed that he has chosen the country’s next top police official.
The President said he had already selected the next PNP chief but declined to reveal the name, emphasizing that the officer should hear it directly from him first.
“I would rather not use this forum to announce that. I think, I should talk to them first because the official decision has not been made,” Marcos told reporters covering the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday, May 27.
“They should hear it. Whoever it is should hear about it first from me, not through the news,” he added.
While withholding the name, the President described the next PNP chief as a senior officer already familiar with the country’s law enforcement landscape.
“He knows the situation. And I will actually tell them, carry on what you are doing. Because we have very good statistics concerning crime,” Marcos said.
The announcement of the next PNP chief came following the extension of the term of the current PNP chief P/Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, who was supposed to retire on Feb. 7.
Marcos extended Marbil’s term by four months to ensure “leadership stability within the PNP during a critical election season.” (Argyll Geducos)
