MOSCOW, Russia — The names of the contenders for the country’s top cop post is set to be submitted to the President before October 20, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.
“Ang usapan namin ay (We discussed that) I will submit the names before October 20. Before October 20 I will submit the names of the contenders,” he told reporters on the sidelines of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Filipino community event here Saturday night.
“Sa batas kasi (According to the law), NAPOLCOM (National Police Commission) will have to submit and I’m the chairman of NAPOLCOM,” he added.
According to Año, it would still be up to the President if he would choose from the list or not.
“Nasa kanya lahat yung (It is in his) authority and discretion to choose anyone starting from the police brigadier generals all the way up,” he said.
PNP Chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde himself has earlier named three senior police officials as his possible successors.
“I think we have the same list naman as Gen. Bato Dela Rosa. Sila naman ang medyo senior at sila ang next in line (They are seniors and next in line),” Albayalde, who will retire in November, earlier said.
He was referring to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar; Deputy Director Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, PNP operations chief; and Lt. Gen. Camilo Pancratius Cascolan, PNP Directorial Staff chief. /je