Statement of Former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III Following Relief from Post
Former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III thanked the Filipino people for all the support following the order to relieve him from his post.
Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez is now the officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police after the relief of Nicolas Torre III as PNP chief. Countless Filipinos were left shocked and questioning by the decision of President Bongbong Marcos to remove Torre from the PNP lead.
In the letter released by Malacañang which was signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, the reason for the relief of Torre as PNP chief was not stated. The order mandated him to ensure a smooth transfer of all of the matters and the documents relative to the office.
Amid the unexpected turn of events, there were speculations that Torre’s decision of assigning Nartatez to lead the Area Police Command-Western Mindanao was allegedly the reason behind his relief from the position. Then, Nartatez who is now the OIC chief of the national police was the second-in-command.
Amid the speculations, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) clarified that former PNP chief Nicolas Torre III did not violate any law neither was charged by any criminal or administrative offense. According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the move was simply a prerogative of Pres. Bongbong Marcos who want to take the PNP into a new direction.
Former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III had a very short stint with just around three (3) months in the lead of the national police. Recently, Torre broke his silence with a short caption thanking the Filipino people through a social media post.
“Salamat po sa suporta nyo!” the former PNP Chief stated.
Former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III expressed his gratitude to the Filipino people through a shared post from his fan page. In the said post, it was stated that every fight of Torre was for the Filipino people.
“Sa bawat laban—sa ring man o sa serbisyo—ang tagumpay ay laging para sa taumbayan. Ang lakas at tapang ni Chief Torre ay para sa kapakanan ng bawat Pilipino. Dahil ang tunay na tagumpay ay ang patuloy na paglilingkod sa bayan,” the caption reads.
Following the removal of Torre as PNP chief, acting Davao Mayor Baste Duterte claimed that whoever will be the next PNP chief allegedly has the order to target their family.