MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) explained on Monday that Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa has the authority to order a major reshuffling in the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the officer-in-charge of the organization.
Jonathan Malaya, DILG Spokesperson and Undersecretary for Plans, Public Affairs, and Communication, made this assurance amid reports that some police officials were shocked over Gamboa ordering such a massive revamp in the PNP over the weekend, since he was only an OIC and not the chief of the police force.
“The current revamp or rigodon in the PNP has the full authority coming from Sec. Año as head of DILG, the Napolcom (National Police Commission), and the President himself,” Malaya said in a press briefing.
READ: ‘Major revamp’ implemented in PNP
He said President Rodrigo Duterte and Año decided to give Gamboa “full authority” to prevent cases in the past where an OIC cannot freely implement actions within the organization.
“This reshuffle is necessary for the PNP to regain the trust and confidence of the Filipino people and President, and for the entire organization to be able to move forward from the challenges and problems it has been facing lately,” he said.
The DILG official then urged all senior police officials to support the reshuffling and other programs of Gamboa, who earlier acknowledged the challenge for him to regain the confidence of the President in the PNP. Duterte had earlier expressed dismay with the police at the forefront of his war on drugs, amid issues that some officers are involved in drug recycling.
The controversy even prompted Gen. Oscar Albayalde, accused of protecting his former subordinates involved in the controversial anti-drug operation in Pampanga in 2013, to step down from his post as PNP chief.
Malaya likewise said he does not think there is resistance from senior police officials to the leadership of Gamboa, who is also one of the contenders to be the next leader of the 190,000-strong PNP. /je