Incoming PNP chief, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (File photo)
MANILA – House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez on Thursday hailed the appointment of Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar as the new Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, saying President Rodrigo Duterte has made the “best choice”.
Romualdez said he is confident that Eleazar’s firm leadership would guarantee the effective administration of justice and ensure peace and order in the country.
“Our new top cop is a man of action in resolving cases with swiftness. With his proven competence, I believe he will always uphold justice. His dedication, unwavering hard work, and perseverance will further restore discipline and respect to the PNP as an institution. The President has made the best choice,” Romualdez said.
He said he believes Eleazar would boost the administration’s campaign against criminality, illegal drugs, and terrorism.
He further noted that the new national police chief would continue the gains in cleansing the PNP from remaining scalawags and address other concerns on law and order.
"I know that Gen. Eleazar will always continue to affirm the PNP’s motto to ‘serve and protect’ and be a good example and advocate of the rule of law,” Romualdez said.
Eleazar will replace PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas who will retire on May 8 after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Eleazar, the police force's 26th chief, is Sinas' mistah (batchmate) in the Philippine Military Academy Hinirang Class of 1987. He graduated cum laude as Top 4 of the class.
He gained popularity in 2016 when he took the helm of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) where he waged relentless anti-crime and anti-illegal drug operations that led to the arrest of notorious street criminals; dismantling of notorious robbery-holdup groups; and arrest and neutralization of drug targets including rogue police personnel involved in crime.
Under his leadership, QCPD was recognized in a survey commissioned by the National Police Commission as the “most trusted Police District in NCRPO”. He was eventually promoted as regional director of the Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon) and the National Capital Region Police Office.
In 2019, he rose to the PNP Command Group after being named chief of the directorial staff, the fourth top post in the police force.
He was later elevated to the position of deputy chief for operations where he concurrently headed the Joint Task Force Covid Shield, the law enforcement and public safety arm of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
He was then promoted as deputy chief for administration in September 2020. (PNA)
