Nartatez says Marcos' order for him is to ensure to do the job

Newly appointed Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Wednesday said President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered him to make sure to do the job. 

“'Yung time po na nagkausap kami ni Pangulong BBM is when he ordered me to go back to Manila at magkaroon po ng changes and ensure na gampanan ang trabaho and the SILG [Secretary of the Interior and Local Government] will relay everything,” Nartatez told GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita in an interview. 

(That time that President BBM and I talked was when he ordered me to go back to Manila. He said there would be changes and he told me to ensure to do the job and the SILG will relay everything.)

According to Nartatez, he was in Pagadian City in Zamboanga City on Monday when he received the order to fly back to Camp Crame in Quezon City due to some “changes.”

He said the details about these changes were initially not disclosed to him until he was back in Manila. 

Nartatez on Tuesday was installed as the new PNP officer-in-charge after the sudden relief from the top PNP post of Police General Nicolas Torre III as PNP chief, which was announced the same day. 

Just two months and three weeks ago on June 2, Torre took over as the 31st PNP chief.

Torre would have had around one year and seven months left to serve as the PNP chief before reaching the retirement age on March 11, 2027.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla on Tuesday said one of the reasons Torre III was relieved as PNP chief was his defiance to an order of the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) on the reassignment of key officials.

No PMA, PNPA factions

In the same TV interview, Nartatez denied that there were factions of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) graduates in the PNP following the removal of Torre.

Nartatez is part of PMA’s Tanglaw-Diwa Class of 1992, while Torre is from PNPA’s Tagapaglunsad Class of 1993.

Torre became the first alumnus of the PNPA to lead the police organization.  

The PMA Class of 1992 were the last batch of the military school recruited into the PNP as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 already prohibited military-trained personnel from joining the PNP. They are expected retired by 2027.

“Ang PNP po iisa lang. Kung gagayahin natin, tulad ng sinabi ng ating mga former chiefs PNP, iisa lang po ang PNP. Nakalagay dito sa tsapa namin—service, honor, justice. Nandito po sa patch ay PNP,” Nartatez said. 

“Sa nakikita po namin, wala pong pangkat-pangkat, faction dito sa PNP,” he added. 

(There is only one PNP. If we are to copy what the former PNP chiefs said, there is only one PNP. It is written in our badge — service, honor, justice. So from what we're seeing, there are no factions within the PNP.)

Meanwhile, Nartatez said he has yet to talk to Torre after the change in PNP leadership. 

According to Nartatez, he may meet Torre at the Office of the Chief PNP at Camp Crame on Wednesday. — KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News