Eleazar reshuffles PNP’s 3 top posts

Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (Photo courtesy of PNP-PIO)

Newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Gen. Guillermo Eleazar promptly ordered on Friday the immediate reorganization of the three top posts of the PNP Command Group.

He designated Lt. Gen. Joselito Vera Cruz as the new deputy chief for administration, the PNP’s second-highest post, and Lt. Gen. Ephraim Dickson, chief of the PNP directorial staff to replace Vera Cruz as deputy chief for operations, making him the police force’s third-ranking official.

Lt. Gen. Dionardo Carlos, chief of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO) in the Visayas and former PNP spokesperson, will take the place of Dickson.

Eleazar also ordered the transfer of Maj. Gen. Rolando Hinanay from the Civil Security Group (CSG) to the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM). The reshuffle takes effect Saturday.

Eleazar officially assumed PNP top post on Friday and became the 26th PNP chief, vice Debold Sinas, who reached his mandatory retirement of 56 Saturday.

In his assumption speech, Eleazar said he would not think twice about removing police officers who taint the PNP image, and pledged to improve the command’s complaint referral and monitoring systems.

Eleazar, Vera Cruz, Dickson, and Sinas all belonged to the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1987.