Acting PNP Chief Plt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. – Photo courtesy of the Office of the Chief PNP/Facebook.
Acting Philippine National Police chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. is scheduled to formally assume the four-star rank of police general on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in a ceremony at Malacañang.
A memorandum from the PNP leadership indicates that the oath-taking and donning of ranks will be administered by President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. at the Palace’s President’s Hall late Wednesday morning.
Following the event, honors are expected to be rendered for Nartatez at the PNP National Headquarters, marking his transition from acting to full-fledged chief of the police force.
Under Republic Act No. 6975, only the President may appoint a PNP chief holding the rank of police general, making the promotion a necessary step in finalizing Nartatez’s leadership.
Nartatez was designated acting PNP chief in August after the removal of then chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III, who remained in service at the time, preventing the elevation of his successor to the four-star post.
The situation shifted after the PNP confirmed Torre’s optional retirement last week, despite his later objection, effectively clearing the way for Nartatez’s promotion.
With the retirement issue resolved, Nartatez is poised to officially take on the highest rank in the police hierarchy, ending months of acting leadership at the helm of the PNP.