MANILA, Philippines— President Rodrigo Duterte may just be waiting for some senior police officers to either resign or retire before choosing the next Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.
Former PNP chief and now Senator Panfilo Lacson said this Tuesday after Duterte complained about the PNP’s procurement of alleged overpriced speed guns which costs P950,000 each.
Duterte said the price of speed guns in Davao City is only P10,000 per unit.
Lacson noted that this issue of overpricing came at a time Duterte was having a hard time choosing the replacement of former PNP chief, General Oscar Albayalde, who resigned in October after being linked to the alleged “ninja cops” issue.
“I think pagka ganyan na pinapakita ay yung (when he’s showing his) displeasure, not only displeasure, not only lack of trust but absence of trust, I think what the President is waiting for right now is to hear from the more senior officers to just volunteer to opt for early retirement to give the President the free hand to choose magkaroon ng (to have) deep selection,” he said in an interview at the Senate.
This is why, he said, the President wants to expand his choices outside the three police generals recommended to him by Interior Secretary Eduardo Año.
Being recommended are Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, the current officer-in-charge of the PNP and deputy chief for administration; Lt. Gen. Camilo Cascolan, deputy chief for operations; and Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, chief of the directorial staff.
“So I think they should think it over kung ganito yung gesture na pinapakita ng Presidente, ng kanilang boss, baka naghihintay na lang ang Pangulo na mag-volunteer na lang yung mga top-ranking na ‘Sige Sir, mag-tender kami ng either resignation or early retirement,” Lacson went on.
(So I think they should think it over if this is the gesture being displayed by the President, their boss, maybe the President is waiting for the top-ranking to just voluntary say, ‘Okay Sir, we will just tender either our resignation or file early retirement)