CABANATUAN
CITY - A former provincial director of the Philippine National Police is also in
the running as the possible successor of suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima once
the latter retires next year, highly placed sources said yesterday.
Police Director Ricardo Cornejo-Marquez,
a member of the Philippine Military Academy's Class 1982, is a strong contender
- a dark horse - to become the next PNP Chief.
The source, who has strong connections
at the Department of the Interior and Local Governments and the National Police
commission, said that the 1982 batch has the inside track in the choice of the
next PNP Chief.
Marquez is currently with the PNP
Directorate for Operations, considered as the busiest police unit at Camp
Crame. He is leading security
preparations for the scheduled visit of Pope Francis this month and the
forthcoming Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this
year.
Another strong contender is Criminal
Investigation Group Chief, Director Benjamin Magalong, a "mistah"of
Marquez, the source, who sought anonymity, said.
Acting
PNP Chief, Deputy Director General
Leonardo Espina is set to retire on July 19 this year, chief of the PNP's
directorial staff and on February 1 of Deputy Director General Alexander
Monteagudo, chief of the PNP's directorate for human resource and doctrine
development.
Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo,
chief of the PNP's directorial staff, is set to retire on March 2 next year.
"Right now, he (Marquez) is in
the mix as a possible next PNP Chief. From a practical standpoint, if you are
going to choose, you are going to pick out those born in 1960 so you will no
longer have to choose another one after just a few months," added the
source.
Marquez was born on August 28,1960, a
few months senior of Magalong who was
born December 15 of the same year. He served as provincial director in 2010. He
was largely credited with the neutralization of criminal syndicates in the
province during his stint .
The province has produced at least two
provincial directors who later went on to become PNP chief, namely former general now Zambales
Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., and former Philippine Retirement Authority chief
Edgar Aglipay.
Former PNP Chief, Oscar Calderon hails
from the province but he never served as provincial director, but as regional
director in Central Luzon.
