In this May 23, 2017 file photo, PNP Deputy Dir. Ramon Apolinario is seen leading the 34th Anniversary of SAF at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City. INQUIRER / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
The spokesperson of the Philippine National Police (PNP) clarified on Wednesday that no official announcement has been made by President Rodrigo Duterte on the replacement of PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in time for his retirement in 2018.
“If there would be an announcement, the official announcement would come from Malacañang,” PNP spokesperson Chief Supt. Dionardo Carlos said in a press briefing.
Carlos’ statement came after news reports disclosed the name of Deputy Director General Ramon Apolinario as Dela Rosa’s successor when he retired on Jan. 21, 2018—the date when the current PNP chief would turn 56 years old, the mandatory age of retirement for the uniformed service.
Despite this, Carlos admitted that Apolinario is the “number one choice” of the President.
“Yan ay ipapaalam sa tamang panahon (that would be announced in due time), by the appointing authority (Duterte),” Carlos said.
“But he’s (Apolinario) really the number one candidate to replace by means of seniority, credentials, and the trust of the President,” he added.
As of posting, the President has yet to issue a formal statement regarding this.
During the 3rd PNP National Advisory Council Summit at the Waterfront Hotel and Casino on Tuesday, Supt. Ercy Nanette Tomas, legal officer of the PNP Center for Police Strategic Management, reportedly introduced Apolinario as the next chief PNP.
But Carlos clarified that the announcement was just an “impromptu spiel,” as he urged the public to wait for an official announcement from the President himself./jpv
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