NO AMOUNT OF accomplishments, honesty and dedication could protect honest-to-goodness public servants from being sacked, just like what happened to General Nicolas Torre III, who was unceremoniously relieved over what many thought was a simple turf war.
Taking cue from documents obtained by Metro Sun Daily, Torre’s removal is more like “insurbordination” after he refused to affix his signature on an “accomplished request” for an P8-billion funding for an arms procurement deal.
The request – if Torre agreed to affix his signature – would have been brought to House Speaker Martin Romualdez who wields the power to include (if not insert) P8 billion for the PNP’s 2026 budget.
According to sources, Torre earned the ire of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla for refusing to obey the orders.
Hence, Torre’s 85-day stint as the country’s top cop has become the shortest since the creation of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in 1991. He took over the reins from twice extended (retired) Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil, the 30th chief of PNP.
Torre refused to sign the document because PNP, he explained, is a civilian agency and buying 80,000 units of 5.56mm assault rifles is something that should be a concern of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
FOR INTERNAL SECURITY
The memo however justified the “Request for Endorsement and Budget Support” would help the PNP in its Firearms Capability Enhancement.
The justification for acquiring the assault rifles — is because the PNP is now focused on internal security operations (ISO) and would thus need such an armory, while the Armed Forces is focused on external defense.
“The shift in operational landscape, however, has exposed critical gaps in our force readiness, most notably in firepower capability. While the PNP remains committed to fulfilling its mandate, the current inventory of basic assault rifles is insufficient to meet the growing demand of ISO units across all operational areas,” the memo said.
It stated: “We believe this proposal aligns with national priorities on peace and order, public safety and territorial integrity.”
WHEN NOBODY DARES
His appointment as PNP chief came right after he successfully forced former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, hesitatingly board the plane bound for the Hague, to face trial over charges of crimes against humanity.
Torre, who has had his share of blunders, headed the PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Previously, Torre (then a regional director) led the police contingent that captured fugitive Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, in view of criminal charges including human trafficking, and sexual abuse among others, as the latter hid in the comforts and security of his sprawling estate in Davao City.
Malacanang on Tuesday released Torre’s relief order without any explanation, prompting Rep. Leila de Lima to say “there better be a good reason for it (his ouster as PNP Chief).
TORRE OVERREACHED?
Senator Panfilo Lacson, who served as PNP Chief under the Estrada administration, surmised that Torre might have overreached his functions by relieving his deputy without consulting the President.
The President, Lacson explained, is the ultimate head of PNP and relieving his deputy — Lt. Gen. Joe Melencio Nartatez may have angered the National Police Commission (Napolcom), which later invalidated Torre’s radical style of PNP reorganization.
Napolcom instructed then PNP chief to reinstate Nartatez. Torre however refused to cave in.
Born in Jolo, Sulu, Torre is the first graduate from the Philippine National Police Academy, Tagapaglunsad Class of 1993, to be designated PNP chief.
BRUSH WITH BASTE
During his short but certainly illustrious career as PNP chief, Torre is best remembered for accepting a fistfight dare by Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte — but with a twist.
The PNP chief arranged a pay-per-view boxing match with proceeds going to the victims of vicious typhoons that struck the country in July.
Despite Rizal Coliseum filled to the bleachers, the young Duterte didn’t show up, for which the police general was declared winner by default. As per Mayor Duterte’s own admission, he flew to Singapore.
More than Torre’s effortless boxing match win, the event generated some P16 million sponsorship and ticket sales which were given to calamity-affected families, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
5-MINUTE RESPONSE
The last — but certainly not the least of Torre’s feat is his 5-minute response policy through a state-of-the-art 911 emergency hotline manned by tech-savvy cops forming part of the PNP Command Center.
A brainchild of Torre, the PNP Command Center does not only have the capacity to receive bulk calls at a time, but also gets to monitor cops’ snail-paced emergency response — if not sleeping on the job.
In a press briefing held at the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, PNP Command Center chief Supt. Ramon Pranada toured a little over a dozen journalists highlighting a modernized police response system.
The PNP Command Center has been equipped with an additional analytic system which effectively upgrades its capability to respond in the soonest possible time — five minutes or less in urban centers and a little over five minutes in remote areas by simply dialing 911 emergency hotline, toll free.
