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.
| Chief of the Philippine National Police | |
|---|---|
| Hepe ng Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas | |
PNP seal | |
Flag of the PNP Chief | |
since September 1, 2025 | |
| Philippine National Police | |
| Seat | Camp Crame, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines |
| Nominator | National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) |
| Appointer | President of the Philippines |
| Term length | Four years; That in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress, the President may extend such term of office; Mandatory retirement shall be upon the attainment of age 56. |
| 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 | ₱121,143 monthly basic pay (2018) |
| Website | https://pnp.gov.ph/ |
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 Bureau.
Tenure
Under Republic Act No. 6975, the term of office of PNP Chief cannot exceed four years. 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. Bernard M. Banac, the current deputy chief for operations is PLtGen. Edgar Alan O. Okubo, and the Acting Chief for Directorial Staff is PMGen. Neri Vincent D. Ignacio.
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 | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Police Director General | Cesar P. Nazareno | March 31, 1991 – August 28, 1992 | ||
| 2nd | Police Director General | Raul S. Imperial | August 28, 1992 – May 6, 1993 | ||
| 3rd | Police Director General | Umberto A. Rodriguez | May 6, 1993 – July 8, 1994 | ||
| 4th | Police Director General | Recaredo A. Sarmiento II | July 8, 1994 – December 15, 1997 | ||
| 5th | Police Director General | Santiago Aliño | December 15, 1997 – July 10, 1998 | ||
| 6th | Police Deputy Director General | Roberto Lastimoso | July 11, 1998 – June 15, 1999 | ||
| 7th | Police Deputy Director General | Edmundo Larroza | June 16 – November 16, 1999 | ||
| 8th | Police Director General | Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson | November 16, 1999 – January 21, 2001 | ||
| Police Deputy Director General | Leandro Mendoza | January 22, 2001 – March 16, 2001 | |||
| 9th | Police Director General | March 16, 2001 – March 17, 2002 | |||
| 10th | Police Director General | Hermogenes E. Ebdane Jr. | March 17, 2002 – August 23, 2004 | ||
| 11th | Police Director General | Edgar Aglipay | August 23, 2004 – March 14, 2005 | ||
| 12th | Police Director General | Arturo Lomibao | March 14, 2005 – July 5, 2006 | ||
| 13th | Police Director General | Oscar C. Calderon | July 5, 2006 – October 1, 2007 | ||
| 14th | Police Director General | Avelino I. Razon Jr. | October 1, 2007 – September 27, 2008 | ||
| 15th | Police Director General | Jesus Ame Versoza | September 27, 2008 – September 14, 2010 | ||
| 16th | Police Director General | Atty. Raul M. Bacalzo, Ph.D. | September 14, 2010 – September 9, 2011 | ||
| 17th | Police Director General | Nicanor A. Bartolome | September 9, 2011 – December 17, 2012 | ||
| 18th | Police Director General | Alan LM Purisima | December 17, 2012 – February 5, 2015 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 21st | Police Director General | Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa | July 1, 2016 – April 19, 2018 | ||
| 22nd | Police General | Oscar David Albayalde | April 19, 2018 – October 14, 2019 | ||
| Police Lieutenant General | Atty. Archie Francisco F. Gamboa | October 14, 2019 – January 20, 2020 (OIC) | |||
| 23rd | Police General | January 20 – September 2, 2020 | |||
| 24th | Police General | Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan | September 2 – November 10, 2020 | ||
| 25th | Police General | Debold M. Sinas | November 10, 2020 – May 8, 2021 | ||
| 26th | Police General | Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar | May 8 – November 13, 2021 | ||
| 27th | Police General | Dionardo B. Carlos | November 13, 2021 – May 8, 2022 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 29th | Police General | Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. | April 24, 2023 – March 31, 2024 | ||
| Police Lieutenant General | Emmanuel B. Peralta (OIC) | March 31 – April 1, 2024 | |||
| 30th | Police General | Rommel Francisco Marbil | April 1, 2024 – June 2, 2025 | ||
| 31st | Police General | Nicolas Torre | June 2, 2025 – August 25, 2025 | ||
| Acting | Police Lieutenant General | Jose Melencio Nartatez | August 26, 2025 – Present |
Note
- OIC from August 26– September 1, 2025
- 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.
- Because Nicolas Torre only relieved and did not retired, Nartatez's rank was Police Lieutenant General, and serving in acting capacity
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