Fall of the new champion

By Artchil B. Fernandez

During his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Bongbong Marcos (BBM) hailed Gen. Nicolas Torre III as his “new champion.” The fact that BBM went off-script to bestow praise on the then–Philippine National Police (PNP) chief underscores the high esteem of the president for Torre. Days before the SONA, Torre earned national accolade for calling the boxing bluff of Davao City Vice Mayor Baste Duterte.

Prior to his appointment as PNP chief, Torre was the most popular police officer in the country. He is the only police official who had the guts and the grit to take on powerful people—a rare feat in the country. It was Torre, as head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), who located and arrested fugitive Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder and supreme leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.

Torre will likely go down in history as the person who did the unthinkable—arrest populist strongman, former President Rodrigo Duterte. During the tense 12-hour standoff at the Villamor Air Base, Torre was a picture of a cool and composed but firm police official who handled the tantrums of the Dutertes with finesse. He ensured that the elder Duterte boarded the government-chartered plane which brought him to The Hague. The Duterte patriarch is now detained at the International Criminal Court (ICC) facility, awaiting trial for crimes against humanity.

For leading the high-profile arrests of former President Rodrigo Duterte and televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, Torre was the toast of the town. Filipinos of all shades and stripes, except the Die-Hard Duterte Supporters (DDS), were rooting for this charming police general who had roots in Iloilo—his father was from Tigbauan, while his mother was from Dumangas. His parents migrated to Mindanao, where Torre was born and raised.

BBM’s appointment of Torre as the 31st chief of the PNP was popular and drew praise from all sectors of society. Torre’s appointment was historic. He was the first non-graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the first graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to head the PNP. Due to retire in March 2027, Torre’s term as PNP chief bodes well for the police organization.

Upon assuming his post as PNP chief, Torre launched sweeping reforms within the organization. He vowed faster emergency response, internal cleansing, and a no-nonsense, merit-based leadership. Torre institutionalized a three-minute emergency response time in major urban centers, declared no more promotions based on connections, and overhauled the PNP’s investigative tools, as well as adopted rights-based, technology-driven solutions to improve police operations.

But in a Shakespearean twist, Torre lasted only 85 days as PNP chief, one of the shortest terms among PNP chiefs. He did not stay long enough to see the fruits of his reforms. Less than three months into his post, Torre was sacked and removed. What gives?

What triggered the relief of Torre from his position was his tiff with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) over the reshuffling of positions in the PNP. Torre, on August 6, issued an order reassigning 13 PNP officials. Among those affected by the reshuffle was PLt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., Torre’s deputy for administration, who was transferred to Western Mindanao.

Napolcom, chaired by Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla, disagreed with Torre and issued Resolution No. 2025-0531 on August 14, voiding the reshuffle. Torre, who received the support of all 18 PNP regional offices, refused to back down. Eventually, Remulla succeeded in getting the president to dismiss Torre from his post for overstepping his authority and asserted his power. Replacing Torre is PLt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., a member of PMA “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992.

Aside from being a PMA graduate, Nartatez has two other aces up his sleeve. He is reportedly the choice of Remulla to be PNP chief when Torre’s predecessor, then–PNP chief Marbil, retired. Finally, Remulla got his way. His second ace is the Ilocano connection. Nartatez, who hails from Ilocos, is BBM’s kailian or province mate.

The fall of Torre demonstrated once again the power of connection and ties—political, ethnic, regional, academic—in society. Torre’s appointment as PNP chief, albeit popular, stepped on many toes. These powerful vested interests were bound to strike back.

PMA Class of 1992 is supposed to be the last batch from the premier military school to head the PNP. Torre’s appointment denied the batch that privilege. Nartatez’s appointment and Torre’s removal restored PMA’s “birthright” to the PNP’s top post. In the clash between PMA and PNPA, PMA prevailed. This is tragic considering that one of Torre’s reforms was “appointments will be based solely on merit, not connection.”

The downfall of Torre also illustrates the hold of political dynasties on BBM’s administration. Jonvic Remulla is a member of the powerful Remulla political clan, a powerful backer of BBM. Between merit and patronage, BBM still prefers payback. Any mirage of reform BBM projects dies with the unceremonious removal of Torre.

Torre may have been useful to BBM in dealing with and handling the Dutertes, but in the end was sacrificed at the altar of transactional politics. This only shows how farcical the cry for reform and the anti-corruption rant of BBM’s Bagong Pilipinas (New Philippines) truly is. Bagong Pilipinas, after all, is nothing but a rehash of his dictator father’s Bagong Lipunan (New Society). Bagong Lipunan also called for societal reform but ended up in an orgy of abuse and misuse of public office and public funds.