Chief of the Philippine National Police
| Chief of the Philippine National Police | |
|---|---|
| Hepe ng Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas | |
 PNP seal | |
 Flag of the PNP Chief | |
| Philippine National Police | |
| Abbreviation | C, PNP |
| Residence | PNP White House |
| Seat | Camp Crame, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Nominator | National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) |
| Appointer | |
| Term length |
|
Constituting instrument | Republic Act No. 6975 |
| Precursor | Chief of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) |
| Formation | March 31, 1991 |
| First holder | Cesar P. Nazareno |
| Unofficial names | Director General / Police General (after the prerequisite rank) |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief for Administration (TDCA) Deputy Chief for Operations (TDCO) Chief of Directorial Staff (TCDS) |
| Salary | ₱157,274 monthly basic pay (2026) |
| Website | https://pnp.gov.ph/ |
The chief of the Philippine National Police (abbreviated as C, PNP; Filipino: Hepe ng Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas) is the head of the Philippines' national police body, the Philippine National Police (PNP). The position is invariably held by a police general, a four-star general police officer.
The chief of the Philippine National Police or PNP chief is also an ex officio member of the National Police Commission.
Eligibility
The Department of the Interior and Local Government Act of 1990 (Republic Act No. 6975), the law establishing the Philippine National Police, states that the President shall appoint the Philippine National Police Chief from among a list prepared by the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) of "the most senior and qualified officers in the service" given that the prospect appointee has not yet retired or within six months from their compulsory retirement age. The lowest rank of a qualified appointee shall be the rank of Police Brigadier General. The appointment of the PNP chief by the President does not require confirmation from the Commission on Appointments.
Powers and functions
The holder of the position of PNP Chief holds the rank of "Police General". Prior to February 2019, this rank was known as "Director General", According to Sec. 26 of RA 6975 the PNP Chief shall have:
Powers, Functions and term of Office of the PNP Chief
- Command and direction of the PNP; the power to direct and control tactical as well as strategic movements, deployment, placement, utilization of the PNP or any of its units and personnel, including its equipment, facilities and other resources. Such command and direction of the Chief of the PNP may be delegated to subordinate officials with the respect to the units under their respective commands, in accordance with the rules and regulation prescribed by the commission.
- Power to issue detailed implementing policies and instructions regarding personnel, funds, properties, records, correspondence and such other matters as may be necessary to effective carry out the functions, powers and duties of the agency.
- Issue disciplinary protocols on all member in matters. He may suspend, remove, and forfeit one's salary if found guilty of criminal, civil, and administrative case. The suspension, salary forfeiture and other actions may only be implemented against that member for not more than 180 days.
Tenure
Under Republic Act No. 6975, the term of office of PNP Chief cannot exceed four years but he needs to retire immediately if he reaches the age of 56. An exception can be made by the President to extend the PNP chief's term "in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress"
Command Group
The PNP Chief is assisted by the Command Group. The current Deputy Chief for Administration is PLtGen. Wilson Joseph F. Lopez, the current Deputy Chief for Operations is PLtGen. Neri Vincent D. Ignacio, and the Chief for Directorial Staff is PMGen. Redrico A. Maranan (Acting).
List
The following lists people who have assumed the position of Chief of the Philippine National Police. This includes people who served as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the PNP. This excludes OIC tenure due to temporary incapacitation of filing of a leave of absence of the incumbent – who would later resume fulfilling their duties.
| No. | Rank | Image | Name | Term | Tenure length | Appointed by | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Police Director General | Cesar P. Nazareno | March 31, 1991 – August 28, 1992 | 1 year, 150 days | Corazon Aquino | ||
| 2nd | Police Director General | Raul S. Imperial | August 28, 1992 – May 6, 1993 | 251 days | Fidel V. Ramos | ||
| 3rd | Police Director General | Umberto A. Rodriguez | May 6, 1993 – July 8, 1994 | 1 year, 63 days | Fidel V. Ramos | ||
| 4th | Police Director General | Recaredo A. Sarmiento II | July 8, 1994 – December 15, 1997 | 3 years, 160 days | Fidel V. Ramos | ||
| 5th | Police Director General | Santiago Aliño | December 15, 1997 – July 10, 1998 | 207 days | Fidel V. Ramos | ||
| 6th | Police Deputy Director General | Roberto Lastimoso | July 11, 1998 – June 15, 1999 | 339 days | Joseph Estrada | ||
| 7th | Police Deputy Director General | Edmundo Larroza | June 16 – November 16, 1999 | 153 days | Joseph Estrada | ||
| 8th | Police Director General | .jpg) |
Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson | November 16, 1999 – January 21, 2001 | 1 year, 66 days | Joseph Estrada | |
| Police Deputy Director General | Leandro Mendoza | January 22, 2001 – March 16, 2001 | |||||
| 9th | Police Director General | March 16, 2001 – March 17, 2002 | 1 year, 1 day | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | |||
| 10th | Police Director General | .jpg) |
Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. | March 17, 2002 – August 23, 2004 | 2 years, 159 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | |
| 11th | Police Director General |  |
Edgar Aglipay | August 23, 2004 – March 14, 2005 | 203 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | |
| 12th | Police Director General |  |
Arturo Lomibao | March 14, 2005 – July 5, 2006 | 1 year, 113 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | |
| 13th | Police Director General | Oscar C. Calderon | July 5, 2006 – October 1, 2007 | 1 year, 88 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | ||
| 14th | Police Director General | Avelino I. Razon Jr. | October 1, 2007 – September 27, 2008 | 362 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | ||
| 15th | Police Director General | Jesus Ame Versoza | September 27, 2008 – September 14, 2010 | 1 year, 352 days | Gloria Macapagal Arroyo | ||
| 16th | Police Director General | Atty. Raul M. Bacalzo, Ph.D. | September 14, 2010 – September 9, 2011 | 360 days | Benigno Aquino III | ||
| 17th | Police Director General | Nicanor A. Bartolome | September 9, 2011 – December 17, 2012 | 1 year, 99 days | Benigno Aquino III | ||
| 18th | Police Director General |  |
Alan LM Purisima | December 17, 2012 – February 5, 2015 | 2 years, 50 days | Benigno Aquino III | |
| 19th | Police Deputy Director General | Leonardo A. Espina (OIC / Acting) | February 5 – July 16, 2015 | ||||
| 20th | Police Director General | Ricardo C. Marquez | July 16, 2015 – June 30, 2016 | 350 days | Benigno Aquino III | ||
| 21st | Police Director General | .jpg) |
Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa | July 1, 2016 – April 19, 2018 | 1 year, 292 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |
| 22nd | Police General | .jpg) |
Oscar David Albayalde | April 19, 2018 – October 14, 2019 | 1 year, 178 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |
| Police Lieutenant General | .jpg) |
Atty. Archie Francisco F. Gamboa | October 14, 2019 – January 20, 2020 (OIC) | ||||
| 23rd | Police General | January 20 – September 2, 2020 | 226 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |||
| 24th | Police General |  |
Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan | September 2 – November 10, 2020 | 69 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |
| 25th | Police General | Debold M. Sinas | November 10, 2020 – May 8, 2021 | 179 days | Rodrigo Duterte | ||
| 26th | Police General |  |
Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar | May 8 – November 13, 2021 | 189 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |
| 27th | Police General |  |
Dionardo B. Carlos | November 13, 2021 – May 8, 2022 | 176 days | Rodrigo Duterte | |
| Police Lieutenant General | Vicente D. Danao Jr. (OIC) | May 8 – August 1, 2022 | |||||
| 28th | Police General |  |
Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. | August 1, 2022 – April 24, 2023 | 266 days | Bongbong Marcos | |
| 29th | Police General |  |
Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. | April 24, 2023 – March 31, 2024 | 342 days | Bongbong Marcos | |
| Police Lieutenant General | Emmanuel B. Peralta (OIC) | March 31 – April 1, 2024 | |||||
| 30th | Police General |  |
Rommel Francisco Marbil | April 1, 2024 – June 2, 2025 | 1 year, 62 days | Bongbong Marcos | |
| 31st | Police General | .jpg) |
Nicolas D. Torre III | June 2, 2025 – August 25, 2025 | 84 days | Bongbong Marcos | |
| Police Lieutenant General |  |
Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. | August 26, 2025 - September 1, 2025 (OIC) | ||||
| September 1, 2025 - January 28, 2026 (Acting) | |||||||
| 32nd | Police General | January 28, 2026 - Present | 291 days | Bongbong Marcos | |||
Note
- 1 2 3 Due to Santiago Aliño's unresolved retirement status, all of the succeeding PNP Chiefs (non-OIC) will only have rank of Police Deputy Director General (3-star rank).
- ↑ Panfilo Lacson was holding the Deputy Director General rank until March 20, 2000.
- ↑ Mendoza already seated as acting PNP chief from January 22, 2001. But due to Panfilo Lacson's age of retirement having not being reached after his resignation, Mendoza's rank is Deputy Director General until March 15, 2001.
- ↑ Nicolas Torre was only relieved as a chief on August 25, 2025 and he only retired on January 19, 2026.