PLTGEN. Jose Melencio Nartatez, Jr. assumed his new role as the new officer-in-charge of the 228,000-strong Philippine National Police (PNP), announcing that there will no longer be any victory party and instead, it is work as usual for him.
Nartatez assumed the post of officer-in-charge (OIC) of the PNP after President Marcos, Jr., through Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, removed Gen. Nicolas Torre III, who only served for about three months after gaining fame for having arrested fugitive televangelist Apollo Quiboloy and former president Rodrigo Duterte.
At the austere turnover ceremony where he took his oath and signed his assumption as OIC of the PNP, Nartatez thanked “Apo President” Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, among others, along with outgoing chief Torre, whom he credited “for steering PNP to what it is today.”
During a subsequent interview, Nartatez said that he will continue the ‘five-minute response’ introduced by his predecessor, thus: “We should respond to any distress call or call for help from our community. That is part of our managing police operations… it is about patrolling and investigation… proactive and reactive.”
He also dismissed rumors of an internal rift within the organization, saying: “I don’t find any conflict or away basta we follow orders, adding: “The PNP is a dynamic organization. We are covered by orders. We are covered by policies. As a fine Filipino public servant na minsan ay isang sundalo, susunod lang tayo kung ano ang ibibigay na utos, especially, this is a general order.”
Nartatez joined the Philippine Military Academy in 1988 and graduated as a member of the Tanglaw-Diwa Class of 1992, the last PMA batch eligible to become PNP chief. He also obtained a master’s degree in public administration.
Prior to his assignment as the OIC of the PNP, Nartatez held several key positions within the PNP, having previously served as director of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), regional director of Calabarzon police and Ilocos Norte provincial police chief.
He also served in the Finance Service in Camp Crame, later becoming director for comptrollership and intelligence. He also served as a member of the elite PNP Special Action Force and under the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
Nartatez then held the PNP’s second-highest position when he became Deputy Chief for Administration in October last year.
