New Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ricardo Marquez formally assumed the position of Deputy Director General with a four-star rank Thursday at a ceremony held shortly after he formally assumed office as the head of a 160,000-strong police force.
Marquez took his oath as Director General before Interior Secretary Mar Roxas at the donning of ranks ceremony held inside Camp Crame in the presence of his family, friends and colleagues.
The event was also witnessed by new Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri.
Marquez was appointed by President Benigno Aquino III last Tuesday as the permanent replacement for outgoing PNP officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.
Prior to his appointment as PNP Chief, Marquez served as director for operations since December 2013. Last January, he led the 20,000-strong police deployment for Pope Francis’ five-day visit in Manila. No major security concerns were raised during the events, with joint security and intelligence forces in place.
In his first speech as PNP chief at the change of command ceremony earlier in the day, Marquez told policemen to do their job well while warning those involved in illegal activities that they will be put in their rightful place.
Aquino, meanwhile, challenged Marquez to end the “bata-bata” or patronage system in the police force.
Aquino, meanwhile, challenged Marquez to end the “bata-bata” or patronage system in the police force.
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