Palace Issues Statement on Status of PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III
PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III was ordered relieved from his post “effective immediately” by President Bongbong Marcos as per Malacañang.
Undeniably, the appointment of Philippine National Police chief Police General Nicolas Torre III was controversial. Acting Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte was one of those who criticized Nicolas Torre’s appoint as PNP chief claiming that it is allegedly not based on merit but on favor.
Torre played a significant role in the arrest of two (2) huge personalities — Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder and leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy and former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte. He was a former chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group or CIDG before his appointment to lead the national police.
According to Torre, under his lead, the cops will be trustworthy. He also told the overweight policemen to drop their excess pounds or else they might be separated from service.
PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III also implemented his swift police response program nationwide. Recently, following the death of a college student who died of leptospirosis after he visited his detained father inside the Caloocan Police Station amid the onslaught of the Southwest Monsoon, Torre reminded the cops to “don’t ever forget our humanity”.
However, recently, Malacañang issued a statement that came as a surprise to many people. Based on a report on ABS-CBN News, Pres. Bongbong Marcos ordered PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III relieved from his post “effective immediately”.
The letter, dated today, Tuesday, August 26, was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, “by the order of the President”. The said order came three (3) months after Torre was appointed as the PNP Chief. However, based on the report, there are no details yet from the Palace over the decision of the President.
“For the continuous and efficient deliver of public services in the PNP, you are hereby directed to ensure proper turnover of all matters, documents and information relative to your office,” the letter reads.
More updates may be posted soon…
Within his 3-year term as the head of the Philippine National Police, Torre has sparked countless headlines — most especially when he accepted the “challenge” of acting Davao Mayor Baste Duterte. The authorities set up a “charity boxing match” but Duterte did not come and the PNP Chief was announced as a “winner by default”.
According to the then-PNP Chief, he took it as an opportunity to gather funds to help the victims of the typhoon and the flooding in the country. The said boxing match gathered multi-millions.
During his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos Jr. even called PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III as the “new boxing champion” which lightened the atmosphere inside the Batasang Pambansa as the President delivers his annual address.
When asked about the SONA 2025 of Pres. Bongbong Marcos, then-PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III even rated it as 5.5 stars out of 5.