Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Reacts To Nicolas Torre III’s Removal from PNP Lead
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President spoke on the relief of former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III as ordered by President Bongbong Marcos.
Countless Filipinos were surprised after Pres. Bongbong Marcos ordered Nicolas Torre III relieved as PNP chief just less than three (3) months since his appointment to the position. To recall, his appointment to lead the national police even sparked countless headlines and elicited various reactions.
Torre led the transfer of the custody of former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. He received massive bashing and criticisms from the Duterte supporters following the March 11 turn of events.
Before being appointed as the PNP chief, he was the head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). He also played a role in the arrest of Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder and leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Following his relief, Torre was replaced by Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez who was appointed as the Officer-in-Charge of the PNP. He was the PNP’s second-in-command when Marcos Jr. was deciding who will replace then-retiring PNP chief Rommel Francisco Marbil.
In a letter released by Malacañang announcing the order of Pres. Bongbong Marcos to relieve Nicolas Torre III as PNP chief, there was no mention of the reason why he was removed from his post. According to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), it was simply Marcos Jr.’s choice to take the PNP into a new direction.
Recently, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte broke her silence on the relief of Nicolas Torre III as the PNP chief. The Vice President is currently in The Hague, Netherlands where her father, former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, is detained under the custody of the ICC since March.
Based on a report on GMA News, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that she cannot really say if the relief of former PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III from his position is karma or not. According to her, what happened to the former PNP Chief is part of his “life’s journey”.
“Hindi ko kasi masabi kung karma ba yun o hindi eh,” the Vice President expressed.
According to Vice Pres. Sara Duterte, only God can really say what a person deserves. Based on the report, she also stressed that a person’s situation may suddenly change.
“Sometimes nandoon ka sa taas, and then 85 days later, nandoon ka sa baba,” Duterte said.
Acting Davao Mayor Baste Duterte who is also in The Hague now was also asked of his side over Torre’s relief as PNP chief. According to him, he really believes that the former PNP Chief is really “demoted” and there might be an internal conflict.
Acting Davao Mayor Baste Duterte also claimed that whoever will be the next PNP chief surely allegedly has the order to target their family and supporters.
