MANILA — Malacañang confirmed that ousted Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III has been offered a new position in government, signaling that his abrupt removal from the police force may not mark the end of his public service career.
“Confirm po na may inaalok na posisyon,” Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a briefing, though she declined to reveal details of the post.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla earlier disclosed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was considering Torre for a government role after his sudden relief as PNP chief.
“I was privy to a conversation that the President is considering him for another post in government,” Remulla said in a presser on Tuesday. “We will know soon if General Torre will accept.”
Torre, the first Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) graduate to rise as PNP chief, was appointed in June but was cut short just two months into his tenure. He would have had one year and seven months left before his mandatory retirement on March 11, 2027.
According to Remulla, Marcos’ decision was meant to reaffirm the authority of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), which holds administrative control and operational supervision over the PNP.
“The Palace affirms that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has made the difficult but necessary decision to relieve PNP Chief Police General Nicolas Torre III of his duties. The President believes that his national security apparatus must always work within the framework of the law,” Remulla said.
“With the recent developments, the President was presented with the facts and he determined that the best course of action is to uphold the role of Napolcom as it was intended by law. As part of this resolution, the President decided to relieve General Torre,” he added.
The shake-up stemmed from Torre’s defiance of a Napolcom resolution that voided his August 6 reassignment of senior police officials, including Lieutenant General Emmanuel Nartatez Jr., who has since succeeded him as PNP chief. Torre had ordered Nartatez to switch posts with Lieutenant General Bernard Banac, then Area Police Command – Western Mindanao head.
On Aug. 14, Napolcom reversed Torre’s order and issued its own revamp, reassigning at least 10 senior police officers to posts in the NCR Police Office, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, and Police Regional Office 4A, among others.
The decision to remove Torre drew backlash from PNPA alumni, who had hailed his appointment as a milestone for the corps of “Lakan” officers./PN
