BY VICTOR REYES and RAYMOND AFRICA
SENATE President Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Panfilo Lacson yesterday hailed the appointment of Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar as the new PNP chief while outgoing PNP head Debold Sinas urged the officers and men of the 220,000-strong police force to support Eleazar.
Eleazar, who was named by President Duterte as the new PNP chief last Wednesday, will assume command of the police force today in rites at Camp Crame, a day before Sinas reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56.
“Best choice ever! A noble man! I hope he will clean the PNP of misfits but must not forget to also clean the community of criminals,” Sotto said.
Lacson, who served as PNP chief under the Estrada administration, said Eleazar is a “good pick” to head the PNP.
“His long experience as a hardworking police officer makes him eminently qualified to lead the police organization, especially during these challenging times,” Lacson said.
Eleazar, the current No. 2 man of the PNP as deputy chief for administration, is a classmate of Sinas at the Philippine Military Academy class of 1987 and is set to retire from the service in November.
“I urge you to give my classmate… the same 100 percent support you gave during the past six months under my watch,” said Sinas, who assumed command as PNP chief last November.
“Every Chief PNP appointed to the post carries with him the full trust and confidence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, therefore, he deserves the unqualified support of all the officers and personnel under his command,” added Sinas.
Sinas said it’s important to have continuity in the implementation of the programs and policies of the PNP, the reason why they need to support Eleazar.
Sinas attributed the accomplishments achieved by the PNP during his six-month tenure to the support given him by all policemen.
“It has been probably the longest six months tour of duty we have served together to accomplish our mission for the Filipino people. And I honestly believe we have been able to deliver more than what we promised to the President and the Filipino people, because everyone stood by me, from the ranking officers in the headquarters to the last beat patroller in the streets,” said Sinas.
Eleazar is also the concurrent commander of the PNP Administrative Support for COVID-19 Task Force.
The Nos. 3 and 4 men of the PNP — Deputy Chief for Operations Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz and chief directorial staff Lt. Gen. Israel Ephraim Dickson — are also members of the PMA class 1987.
Eleazar earned prominence when, while serving as the Metro Manila police chief, he made unannounced visits to police stations during unholy hours. Policemen caught sleeping on the job were handed stiff sanctions.
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines also praised the appointment of Eleazar, saying he is proactive police officer and supportive of the IBP’s efforts to protect lawyers under its Lawyer Security and Justice Program.
“We welcome the appointment of Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar as chief of the PNP, which DILG Secretary Eduardo Ano assures was based on seniority, merit, service reputation and competence to lead the police force,” IBP National President Domingo Egon Cayosa said.
“We look forward to more effective law enforcement and anti-criminality campaigns of the PNP in accord with the rule of law and with regard for the constitutional rights of citizens,” Cayosa said, adding: “We trust that under his leadership in the next six months, significant improvements will be institutionalized to enable the PNP to better contribute to Justice Bilis.” — With Ashzel Hachero
