Banac named to PNP’s second top post

Area Police Command (APC) Western Mindanao head Police Lieutenant General Bernard Banac has been named the Philippine National Police's deputy chief for administration, making him the second highest-ranking police official behind PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III.

Based on the August 5 order confirmed by PNP public information office chief Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño to GMA News Online, Banac will assume the post on Wednesday.

Banac switched positions with Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., who is now the APC Western Mindanao commander.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1992, Banac joined the Special Action Force (SAF) after graduation, then served as Aide to the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government from 1996 to 1998.

He was also recognized as one of the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service (COPS) in 2012 by the Metrobank Foundation. 

Banac was designated as the Provincial Director of Sorsogon province in 2014 and joined the Directorate for Operations as Chief of the Internal Security Operations Division.

From 2019 to 2020, he served as the PNP spokesperson and Public Information Office chief. — BM, GMA Integrated News