Latest news with #RepublicAct6975
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Politics
- GMA Network
NAPOLCOM reverses Torre's appointments of key PNP officials
PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III gives inaugural speech during change of command ceremony on June 2, 2025. Screenshot from RTVM video The National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) has issued a resolution reversing and modifying the appointments made by Philippine National Police chief Police General Nicolas Torre III. Issued on August 14, NAPOLCOM's Resolution 2025-0531 had directed the return of Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez as Deputy Chief for Administration and Lieutenant General Bernard Banac as commander of the Area Police Command (APC) Western Mindanao. They switched positions earlier this month. The NAPOLCOM also ordered the PNP to immediately issue corresponding orders with regard to the movement of these officials: Police Major General Robert Alexander Morico II - from APC Visayas Commander to NCPRO Regional Director Police Major General Anthony Aberin - from NCPRO Regional Director to CIDG Director Police Brigadier General Christopher Abrahano - from CIDG Acting Director to Officer-in-Charge, APC Visayas Police Brigadier General Paul Kenneth Lucas - from Deputy Regional Director for Administration of NCRPO to Regional Director of PRO4-A Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky - from Regional Director of PRO4-A to Deputy Regional Director for Administration of NCRPO Police Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz - from Regional Director, PRO 12 to Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit Police Brigadier General Arnold Ardiente - from Ex-O, APC Visayas to Regional Director, PRO 12 Police Brigadier General William Segun - from Director, Highway Patrol Group to Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit Police Colonel Hansel Marantan - from Acting Chief, Peace Process And Development Center, OCPNP to Director, Highway Patrol Group Police Colonel Jonathan Abella - from Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit to Acting Director, EOD K9 Police Colonel Arnold Rosero - from Acting Director, EOD K9 to Deputy Director for Administration, EOD K9. In asserting its authority, the NAPOLCOM cited Section 6, Article XVI of the 1987 Constitution that provides that the State shall establish and maintain one police force, "to be administered and controlled by a national police commission." "While the powers to designate, assign and reassign Police Commissioned Officers to third-level positions are vested in the Chief, PNP under Section 26 of Republic Act 6975, the power to review, approve, reverse, or modify such acts is within the authority of the NAPOLCOM," the resolution said. It noted that the recent appointments did not pass through the NAPOLCOM En Banc, which is headed by Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla. Despite the resolution, several Police Regional Offices have expressed their support for Torre. ''The men and women of NCRPO express unshakeable support to the Chief, Philippine National Police and all of his legally-issued administrative and operational directives pursuant to the lawful exercise of his mandate as the duly-appointed leader of the country's police force,'' the NCRPO said. ''We firmly recognize that your directives, including necessary command adjustments, are fully aligned with Section 26 of Republic Act No. 6975 (The DILG Act of 1990). These actions are not only lawful but essential in ensuring an efficient, disciplined, and mission-ready police force,'' the Police Regional Office CAR added. Torre has not yet issued a statement about the NAPOLCOM's decision. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
Khaleej Times
28-06-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Philippines: Overweight cops get 12 months to meet weight standards or lose jobs
Police officers who are overweight have one year to meet physical fitness standards or risk losing their jobs, according Speaking in a radio interview, Gen. Nicolas Torre III Torres emphasised his commitment to enforcing health and fitness requirements across the Philippine National Police (PNP). 'After one year, there will be a separation from the service," the PNP chief warned. Torre cited Republic Act 6975, also known as the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act, which mandates that officers maintain a weight no more or less than 5kg from the standard based on their height, age, and sex. "The standard weight will adjust automatically because one's build is taken into consideration. So you cannot say that you're overweight just because you're bigboned," Torres underscored. He also noted that the qualifications for police officers listed in the law are 'continuing in nature and failure in any one of them can be a cost for termination". "We have regulations for that. They will be given one year to comply with the standard," the PNP chief added. 40 push-ups required To support physical fitness, police officers working the 8am to 5pm shift are now allowed to end their workday at 3pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so they can engage in their chosen fitness routines. Personnel on frontline duties, however, must find their own time to exercise. The PNP chief also added that officers should also be able to perform at least 40 push-ups — or face dismissal. "The reckoning will come during the physical fitness test. We won't show any mercy there," he said. He also warned that if he gets suspicious and he encounters someone who supposedly passed the test, but couldn't do 40 push-ups when asked, he will "find out who approved his results — and both will be dismissed". Fitness as core standard Torre, the PNP's 31st chief, has made physical fitness a cornerstone of his leadership — one that applies to everyone from senior officials down to rank-and-file patrol officers. "It is incumbent upon every police officer to maintain a physical appearance acceptable for a police officer,' said PNP spokesperson Brigadier General Jean Fajardo. Fajardo encouraged officers to start monitoring their Body Mass Index (BMI), which is computed by dividing a person's weight in kilos by the height in meters squared. For officers dealing with health issues, the PNP chief said they are exploring two options: either a full disability discharge or reassignment to administrative roles. The PNP leadership also plans to consult the National Police Commission (Napolcom) regarding proper handling of personnel with medical conditions that affect their weight or fitness levels. 'The directive does not dictate how you are going to lose weight, but of course, we will give considerations,' Fajardo said. Not the first time This isn't the first time fitness has been pushed within the police force. In 2000, then-PNP chief and now Senator-elect Panfilo Lacson also introduced strict standards, famously saying no policeman should have a waistline exceeding 34 inches. His rationale: physical fitness helps project discipline — and a fat policeman 'gave the illusion' of being more prone to corruption. Back then, officers were given only a few months to comply, triggering a wave of fitness programs and mandatory workouts. Even senior officers found themselves under scrutiny, with at least one high-ranking official scolded by Lacson for missing a scheduled fitness test.
