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Task force commander for papal visit Ricardo Marquez is new PNP chief
By AMITA LEGASPI, GMA News
(Updated 3:03 p.m., July 16) The head of the police task force for the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January has been named the new chief of the Philippine National Police Tuesday.
Dir. Ricardo Marquez, director for operations since December 2013, assumes the position as Deputy Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina is set to retire July 16.
Incoming PNP chief Marquez: It was unclear at first if PNoy really chose me
Incoming Philippine National Police chief Director Ricardo Marquez only learned of his new designation Monday, but he was initially not sure if President Benigno Aquino III had chosen him for the post.
“Yesterday (Monday), I was brought by the good Secretary (Mar Roxas) to Malacañang for a final meeting with the President,” Marquez told reporters during a press conference Tuesday where his appointment was announced.
Asked if it was the President who informed him of his new designation, Marquez answered in the affirmative but admitted it was unclear to him at first.
“May mga bilin siya, mga implied naman. Di namin matantiya ni Sec. Mar kung ako na [nga] ba. (Ang sabi ni Presidente) ito haharapin mo, ito susuungin mo. Puro implied lang,” he said.
“[Sa] latter part na lang ng conversation nung kausap niya (Aquino) sina Sec. Mar at Executive Secretary (Paquito Ochoa). Sa casual conversation lang nina Executive Secretary Ochoa namin nasiguro,” he added.
Credible polls
Asked if the President had a hard time deciding who to name as the new PNP chief, Roxas, for his part, said Aquino wanted someone whose term will not end before the elections because he wants to leave a legacy that a credible polls happened during his term.
“Napakaselan ng prosesong ito, isa sa pinakamabigat na kinonsidera ng Pangulo ay ayaw niyang matapos ang term ng isang uupo bago ang eleksyon. Ang gusto niyang maiwan sa kanya ay to have a legacy of a credible election,” Roxas said.
“Napakahirap ng desisyon ito dahil kung sino ang mamumuno sa PNP sa halalan pero sa kalagitnaan nito ay magre-retire at ang uupo ay hindi naman leader ng PNP sa paghahanda baka mahirapan. Isa ito sa konsiderasyon ng Pangulo,” he added.
Marquez will retire in late August 2016, or three months after the elections.
[Read more]
During the Papal visit last January, Marquez led the 20,000-strong police deployment for the pontiff's five-day stay. No major security concerns were raised during the events, with joint security and intelligence forces in place.
It wasn't until after the event that relieved Special Action Forces (SAF) commander Dir. Getulio Napeñas confirmed having received "unverified" information that the Jemaah Islamiyah, in coordination with Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, was planning to bomb the papal convoy in Manila on January 18, when Pope Francis was scheduled to hold the concluding Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
Malacañang, however, downplayed the supposed bomb plot.
The PNP came under fire, however, after some policemen deployed for the visit claimed that they did not receive in full the P2,400 food allowance promised per officer.
Marquez said the funds for the Papal operations did not pass through his hands, adding that they were directly supervised for the said event by the Office of the President, an Inquirer report said last week.
At a press conference where he made the announcement, Interior Secretary Mar Roxas expressed confidence in the leadership of Marquez.
"Tiwala ako na ang pipiliin ng Pangulo ay may proven track record. Matibay ang kumpyansa ko kay Director Ric Marquez," he said.
Incoming Philippine National Police chief Director Ricardo Marquez only learned of his new designation Monday, but he was initially not sure if President Benigno Aquino III had chosen him for the post.
“Yesterday (Monday), I was brought by the good Secretary (Mar Roxas) to Malacañang for a final meeting with the President,” Marquez told reporters during a press conference Tuesday where his appointment was announced.
Asked if it was the President who informed him of his new designation, Marquez answered in the affirmative but admitted it was unclear to him at first.
“May mga bilin siya, mga implied naman. Di namin matantiya ni Sec. Mar kung ako na [nga] ba. (Ang sabi ni Presidente) ito haharapin mo, ito susuungin mo. Puro implied lang,” he said.
“[Sa] latter part na lang ng conversation nung kausap niya (Aquino) sina Sec. Mar at Executive Secretary (Paquito Ochoa). Sa casual conversation lang nina Executive Secretary Ochoa namin nasiguro,” he added.
Credible polls
Asked if the President had a hard time deciding who to name as the new PNP chief, Roxas, for his part, said Aquino wanted someone whose term will not end before the elections because he wants to leave a legacy that a credible polls happened during his term.
“Napakaselan ng prosesong ito, isa sa pinakamabigat na kinonsidera ng Pangulo ay ayaw niyang matapos ang term ng isang uupo bago ang eleksyon. Ang gusto niyang maiwan sa kanya ay to have a legacy of a credible election,” Roxas said.
“Napakahirap ng desisyon ito dahil kung sino ang mamumuno sa PNP sa halalan pero sa kalagitnaan nito ay magre-retire at ang uupo ay hindi naman leader ng PNP sa paghahanda baka mahirapan. Isa ito sa konsiderasyon ng Pangulo,” he added.
Marquez will retire in late August 2016, or three months after the elections.
[Read more]
"Naniniwala akong ipagpapatuloy niya ang pagbabago at kaayusan sa PNP and he will take it to further heights," he added.
Marquez, for his part, expressed his gratitude to President Benigno Aquino III for choosing him.
"With humility and full gratitude, I accept the challenge to lead the 160,000-strong PNP," he said.
During the Papal visit last January, Marquez led the 20,000-strong police deployment for the pontiff's five-day stay. No major security concerns were raised during the events, with joint security and intelligence forces in place.
It wasn't until after the event that relieved Special Action Forces (SAF) commander Dir. Getulio Napeñas confirmed having received "unverified" information that the Jemaah Islamiyah, in coordination with Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, was planning to bomb the papal convoy in Manila on January 18, when Pope Francis was scheduled to hold the concluding Mass at the Quirino Grandstand.
Malacañang, however, downplayed the supposed bomb plot.
The PNP came under fire, however, after some policemen deployed for the visit claimed that they did not receive in full the P2,400 food allowance promised per officer.
Marquez said the funds for the Papal operations did not pass through his hands, adding that they were directly supervised for the said event by the Office of the President, an Inquirer report said last week.
Marquez, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1982, served as director of the Police Regional Office 1, where he was on acting capacity from January to April 2013, then appointed to full capacity until December the same year.
Among other positions he previously held were executive officer of the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (2011) and deputy task force commander of the police's Anti-Illegal Drugs Special Operations Task Force.
During the 2010 national elections, he was police provincial director in Nueva Ecija, which had been identified as an election hotspot.
He first served as junior officer for the 634th Philippine Constabulary Company in 1982. He held this position in both Laguna and Palawan in 1983 and 1985, respectively, before rising in the ranks to become an administration officer for the Philippine Constabulary in 1986.
Marquez became the commanding officer for the 226th Philippine Constabulary Company in Laguna in June 1987 and promoted to the position of district commander in 1993. In 1994, he was stationed in Cavite, serving as the district commander. While holding this position, Marquez was awarded PNP Junior PCO of the Year for 1995.
Since 1996, Marquez headed a number of divisions within the PNP, such as the District Intelligence & Investigation Division (1997-1998), the Regional Intelligence Investigation Division (2003-2004), and the Foreign Liaison Division (2006), among others.
Marquez, who hails from Maragondon, Cavite, is set to retire on August 28, 2016.
Late last week, President Aquino named then-Army commanding general Hernando Iriberri as the 46th chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Much awaited
He first served as junior officer for the 634th Philippine Constabulary Company in 1982. He held this position in both Laguna and Palawan in 1983 and 1985, respectively, before rising in the ranks to become an administration officer for the Philippine Constabulary in 1986.
Marquez became the commanding officer for the 226th Philippine Constabulary Company in Laguna in June 1987 and promoted to the position of district commander in 1993. In 1994, he was stationed in Cavite, serving as the district commander. While holding this position, Marquez was awarded PNP Junior PCO of the Year for 1995.
Since 1996, Marquez headed a number of divisions within the PNP, such as the District Intelligence & Investigation Division (1997-1998), the Regional Intelligence Investigation Division (2003-2004), and the Foreign Liaison Division (2006), among others.
Marquez, who hails from Maragondon, Cavite, is set to retire on August 28, 2016.
Late last week, President Aquino named then-Army commanding general Hernando Iriberri as the 46th chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Much awaited
The announcement for the new PNP chief has been much awaited, after the suspension and eventual resignation of former chief Dir. Gen. Alan Purisima from the top PNP post.
Purisima holds the four-star rank—the highest in the PNP—despite stepping down last Feb. 6 amid the controversy over the Mamasapano operation, planning and execution of which happened while he was under suspension in connection with a graft case.
He has been criticized for playing an active role in the ill-fated operation, which left a total of 66 people dead, including 44 elite police officers.
After serving his six-month suspension in June, he went on a month-long leave until July. He was ordered dismissed from service by the Office of the Ombudsman on June 30 for grave misconduct, serious dishonesty, and grave abuse of authority in entering into an anomalous contract with courier service Werfast Documentary Agency in 2011.
Espina, who served on acting capacity since Purisima's suspension in December, had offered to resign in April. President Aquino earlier said that considering Espina for the position on full capacity will be "disruptive to the service" with only three months left then before his retirement in July.
In mid-June, Aquino started interviewing possible choices for PNP chief.
‘Based on qualifications’
In Malacañang, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino considered Marquez’s qualifications in choosing him as new PNP chief.
“Ang pagpili ng Pangulo ay batay sa kwalipikasyon at kung sino ang pinakamahusay na pwedeng gumanap sa tungkulin ng PNP chief,” Coloma told reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
The Palace official made this statement when asked about reports that Purisima influenced the President into appointing Marquez as the national police chief.
Citing PNP sources, the Coalition of Filipino Consumers earlier accused Purisima of pushing for Marquez’s appointment, supposedly to shield him from charges over an allegedly anomalous gun database modernization project, which the anti-corruption group earlier questioned.
In a phone interview, the group’s secretary general, Jaime Perfecto Tagalog, encouraged Marquez to scrutinize projects undertaken during Purisima’s term as PNP chief.
“Our call is for him to clean up projects during the regime of PNP chief Purisima,” Tagalog said.
Asked if his group will oppose Marquez’s appointment, Tagalog said they will give the new PNP chief a chance to prove that he is serious about ridding the police force of corruption and promoting the welfare of police officers. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino and Andreo Calonzo/KG/RSJ/KBK, GMA News
‘Based on qualifications’
In Malacañang, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino considered Marquez’s qualifications in choosing him as new PNP chief.
“Ang pagpili ng Pangulo ay batay sa kwalipikasyon at kung sino ang pinakamahusay na pwedeng gumanap sa tungkulin ng PNP chief,” Coloma told reporters at a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.
The Palace official made this statement when asked about reports that Purisima influenced the President into appointing Marquez as the national police chief.
Citing PNP sources, the Coalition of Filipino Consumers earlier accused Purisima of pushing for Marquez’s appointment, supposedly to shield him from charges over an allegedly anomalous gun database modernization project, which the anti-corruption group earlier questioned.
In a phone interview, the group’s secretary general, Jaime Perfecto Tagalog, encouraged Marquez to scrutinize projects undertaken during Purisima’s term as PNP chief.
“Our call is for him to clean up projects during the regime of PNP chief Purisima,” Tagalog said.
Asked if his group will oppose Marquez’s appointment, Tagalog said they will give the new PNP chief a chance to prove that he is serious about ridding the police force of corruption and promoting the welfare of police officers. — Rose-An Jessica Dioquino and Andreo Calonzo/KG/RSJ/KBK, GMA News
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