Sinas to all PNP personnel: Support incoming PNP chief Eleazar

Outgoing top cop Police General Debold Sinas on Thursday urged the 220,000-strong police force to support his mistah, incoming PNP chief Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Eleazar.

“I urge you to give my classmate, Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar, the same 100 percent support you gave during the past six months under my watch,” Sinas said in a statement.

"Every Chief PNP appointed to the post carries with him the full trust and confidence of the President of the Republic of the Philippines, therefore, he deserves the unqualified support of all the officers and personnel under his command,” he added.

The change of command ceremony between Sinas and Eleazar will take place on Friday, May 7 at Camp Crame. Sinas will reach the mandatory age of retirement from police service on May 8.

Sinas stressed the importance of having continuity of command "to sustain the momentum to carry out institutional programs and policies" in the police organization.

"It has been probably the longest six months tour of duty we have served together to accomplish our mission for the Filipino people,” Sinas said.

“And I honestly believe we have been able to deliver more than what we promised to the President and the Filipino people, because everyone stood by me, from the ranking officers in the headquarters to the last beat patroller in the streets,” he added.

Sinas and Eleazar belong to the Philippine Military Academy "Hinirang" Class of 1987.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday announced Eleazar's appointment as the 26th chief of the PNP and the sixth PNP chief under the Duterte administration.

He believes that Eleazar, who served as the first commander of the Joint Task Force COVID Shield, is very much qualified for the position. 

Eleazar expressed gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for the appointment, which he said was a rare opportunity, but admitted that it came with the challenges of good leadership and meeting the high expectations of Filipinos.

He said he is ready to face the challenges that come with his new designation.

Eleazar was able to hold key positions while in the field. He served as chief of police of San Pedro, Laguna; provincial officer of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Batangas and Laguna; and chief investigator of the Police Anti-Crime and Emergency Response (PACER).

He also served as the CIDG regional chief in Central Luzon and Central Visayas, where he waged a relentless campaign against organized crime groups as well as other threat groups.

He also held administrative positions in the Directorate for Logistics and Directorate for Comptrollership.

In 2016, he became the commander of the Quezon City Police District where he led the relentless anti-crime and anti-illegal drug operations that led to the arrest of notorious street criminals and neutralization of notorious robbery-holdup groups, drug syndicates and police scalawags.

Eleazar also had the opportunity to lead the National Capital Region Police Office.  —LBG, GMA News