Manila: Senate President Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero on Monday welcomed the appointment of Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III as the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), calling it a historic fulfillment of a decades-old law mandating civilian leadership in the police force.

According to Philippines News Agency, Escudero highlighted that the decision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to appoint Torre, a graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), as PNP chief marked the full realization of Republic Act No. 6975. This 1990 law restructured the country’s police force from military to civilian in character. RA 6975, or the Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990, provided for the creation of the PNP as a civilian organization. It also set a transition period during which Philippine Military Academy (PMA) graduates could still join the PNP.

Escudero emphasized that with Torre’s appointment, the 35-year-old law declaring the police force as civilian in nature has been fully implemented. He noted the significant responsibility on Torre’s shoulders to demonstrate that the law passed by Congress over three decades ago is indeed correct, appropriate, and necessary.

When asked whether Torre was a good choice for the post, Escudero affirmed the decision of President Marcos, stating that it was the first time any president had made such an appointment. He added that it coincided with the presence of a senior PNPA officer who had reached the necessary rank to qualify as PNP Chief.