PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz and two other ranking police officials are retiring from the service, triggering high-level reassignments in the 220,000-strong police force.
Vera Cruz, the PNP’s No. 2 man, is due to reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 next Tuesday.
Lt. Gen. Ferdinand Divina, director of the Area Police Command Southern Luzon, retires today while Maj. Gen. Albert Ignatius Ferro, director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, retires on Saturday.
Vera Cruz and Ferro were re-assigned to the office of PNP chief Dionardo Carlos yesterday, pending their official retirement.
PNP Deputy Chief for Operations Lt. Gen. Ephraim Dickson, the PNP’s No. 3 man, took over Vera Cruz’s post. Dickson is due to retire on March 27.
Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, chief of the PNP Directorial Staff, will replace Dickson as PNP deputy chief for operations.
Sermonia’s successor is National Capital Region Police Office Director Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao while the top NCRPO post will go to Special Action Force (SAF) director Maj. Gen. Felipe Natividad.
The new SAF director will be Brig. Gen. Patrick Villacorte, the outgoing director of the Communications and Electronic Service (CES).
Brig. Gen. Prexy Tanggawohn, deputy director of the Directorate for Human Resource and Doctrine Development, is the new CES director. Tanggawohn will be succeeded as CES director by Ilocos region police director Brig. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta.
The new Ilocos Region police director is Brig. Gen. Westrimundo Obinque, currently assigned with the office of the PNP chief.
Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Azurin, director of the Directorate for Comptrollership, was named as the acting head of the Area Police Operation Southern Luzon, replacing Divina.
Brig. Gen. Benjamin Santos Jr., head of the PNP Command Center, was named as the acting director of the Directorate for Comptrollership, taking the place of Azurin.
The new head of the PNP Command Center is Brig. Gen. Ronnie Cariaga, executive officer of the Directorate for Operations.
Cariaga’s soon-to-be-vacated post will go to Col. Limuel Obon, deputy director of the Aviation Security Group.
Ferro’s successor as CIDG director is Brig. Gen. Eliseo Dela Cruz, deputy director of the Area Police Command Visayas. Dela Cruz will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Remus Canieso, deputy chief APC Southern Luzon.
Canieso’s successor as APC Southern Luzon deputy chief is Maj. Gen. Joseph Gohel, the deputy director of the APC Eastern Mindanao. Gohel will be succeeded by Brig. Gen. Filmore Escobal, the Davao region police director.
The new Davao region police director is Brig. Gen. Benjamin Silo Jr., director of the PNP Information Technology Management Service (ITMS). The new ITMS director is Brig. Gen. Harris Fama, the deputy director of the Directorate for Police Community Relations.
Col. Jonathan Cabal, deputy chief for operations of the Eastern Visayas region police, will be Fama’s successor.
Col. Jonathan Abella. who heads the Regional Personnel Records and Management Division of the Central Visayas region police, will take over Cabal’s post in Eastern Visayas.
