Comelec, NBI heads also announced
BY JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR and VICTOR REYES
MALACAÑANG yesterday announced appointees of President Marcos Jr., to the Armed Forces (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP), the Commission on Elections, and the National Bureau of Investigation.
Named to head the 212,000-strong military was Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, a recipient of the highest military decoration, Medal of Valor. Bacarro, current head of the AFP Southern Luzon Command (Solcom), is the first beneficiary of Republic Act 11709 that fixes the term of the AFP chief and other key military officials.
The 226,000-strong PNP will be headed Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr, commander of the Area Police Command-Northern Luzon.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles also announced the designation of George Garcia, who served as Marcos’ election lawyer, as chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and of NBI Assistant Director and officer-in-charge (OIC) Medardo de Lemos as the bureau’s chief.
De Lemos has been with the NBI for 37 years, and served as OIC for a month.
“Director De Lemos rose from the ranks and his appointment as NBI director is a strong indication of President Marcos’ commitment in strengthening the system of ‘meritocracy’ in the promotion, placement and hiring of government personnel,” Angeles said.
De Lemos, a lawyer and career officer, replaces Eric Distor. He graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1983 and from the NBI Academy in Tagaytay in 1985. He obtained his Career Executive Service Officer Rank (CESO) in 2003.
Garcia vowed to be independent as he takes the helm of the poll body two months after his appointment as commissioner was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.
“Rest assured that I will remain impartial and independent as a Comelec chairman,” he said in a statement.
Garcia’s term will expire on Feb. 2, 2029.
Garcia said he is “humbled and thankful for the trust and confidence” of Marcos, whom he served as poll lawyer in the latter’s vice presidential protest case against former Vice President Leni Robredo in 2016.
The veteran election lawyer rejoins, this time as poll chief, Commissioners Socorro Inting, Marlon Casquejo, Aimee Ferolino, and Rey Bulay.
With Garcia’s appointment, two poll commissioner seats remain vacant in the seven-man poll body.
Angeles said the change of command for the new AFP chief will be on August 8 to give Bacarro time to wind down at the Solcom and prepare for his new position.
She said Bacarro will be the first military chief to benefit from RA 11709 which provides a fixed three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief. The law also covers the vice chief of staff, the deputy chief of staff, unified command commanders, inspectors general, and major service commanders or heads of the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy.
“Based on RA 11709, General Bacarro will be the first CSAFP to be given a fixed three-year term,” Angeles said.
Bacarro, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1988, is set to turn 56 — the mandatory age of retirement for the members of the military – on September 18.
Bacarro is also a graduate of US Army Command and General Staff Course in Kansas, USA.
He was conferred the Medal of Valor (MOV) for “conspicuous acts of courage, gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty” during a 10-hour encounter with about 150 communist rebels in Maconacon, Isabela in 1991.
Bacarro, then a second lieutenant and commander of a CAFGU company, led his men during the encounter that left 16 NPA rebels dead. His company lost three men in the firefight.
He is the fourth MOV awardee named as AFP chief. The three others are Gen. Cirilito Sobejana (January to July last year), Maj. Gen. Paulino Santos (May 1936 to December 1938) and Maj. Gen. Mariano Castañeda (December 1948 to May 1951).
Angeles said outgoing AFP chief Gen. Andres Centino, a PMA classmate of Bacarro, “is slated for a new post befitting a former chief of staff.”
Centino is due for retirement in February next year.
Department of National Defense OIC Jose Faustino Jr welcomed the appointment of Bacarro, his PMA classmate.
Faustino retired from military service in November last year after serving as AFP chief for more than three months. He assumed the DND OIC post on July 1, a day after Marcos took over as President.
“Lieutenant General Bacarro’s appointment as chief of staff bodes well for the AFP as he will be given a longer period to implement reforms and institutionalize policies that will redound to the benefit of the organization,” said Faustino.
Bacarro resigned as commandant of Corps of Cadet Corps of the PMA in 2019, along with then PMA superintendent Maj. Gen. Ronnie Evangelista, for command responsibility over the death by hazing of PMA cadet Darwin Dormitorio. Bacarro and Evangelista were charged over the hazing but were later cleared by government prosecutors for lack of probable cause.
PNP, NBI
Azurin is a member of the PMA Class of 1989. He served the PNP in various capacities, both in police operations and administrative work.
Before becoming the commander of the Northern Luzon Police Area, he served as commander of the Southern Luzon Police Area, Directorate for Comptrollership, and Directorate for Information and Communication Technology Management.
He also served as director of the Maritime Group, regional director of Police Regional Office 1 in Ilocos, provincial director of Benguet Police, Chief Task Force Limbas of the Highway Patrol Group, and deputy operations officer of Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force.
A native of La Trinidad, Benguet, Azurin is due to reach the retirement age of 56 in April next year.
Azurin replaces Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr.
PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said the date of Azurin’s assumption has yet to be set.
“The schedule will depend on the availability of the President because we expect that the President will be presiding the assumption of office of the new chief PNP,” said Fajardo.
Danao, of PMA class 1991, has been the PNP officer-in-charge since last May, in concurrent capacity as the PNP deputy chief of staff for operations, following the retirement of then PNP chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos.
In a statement, the PNP welcomed the appointment of Azurin.
“Under Lt. Gen. Azurin’s direction, we assure the public that our police force will sustain its momentum to carry out PNP’s mission and to deliver its mandate with utmost integrity, credibility and professionalism, all for safety and protection of our Filipino people,” said PNP public information office chief Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba. — With Gerard Naval, and Ashzel Hachero
