POLICE Lt. General Vicente Danao has been designated as the ‘OIC’ (officer-in-charge) of the Philippine National Police (PNP), with the mandatory retirement last May 8, 2022 of PNP Chief P/Gen. Diornardo Carlos, the eve of the national and local elections.
Prior to his appointment by President Duterte, Danao was also director of the Manila Police District (MPD), the Calabarzon Regional Police Office (PRO4-A), National Capital Region police director (NCRPO), chief of the PNP directorial staff and PNP deputy director for operations.
Carlos, for his part, served as PNP Chief for about 6 months with the retirement that month of P/ General Guillermo Tolentino Eleazar. Eleazar is running for the Senate in the May 9, 2022 elections.
“Danao’s taking over the helm of the PNP is pivotal and timely especially at this time when the country is about to elect its new set of leaders during the national and local elections on Monday, May 9, 2022,” said Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary, Eduardo M. Año, in a statement last May 5, 2022, the day the Palace confirmed Danao’s appointment.
“As OIC of the PNP, Danao’s first order of the day is to ensure that all security preparations are in place and all police units are mobilized and on alert so that the country will have a peaceful, orderly, and honest elections,” the DILG chief said further, adding:
“As commander of the National Security Task Force on National and Local Elections, Danao is more than cut out for the job of ensuring a safe and peaceful elections as he has been involved in the planning and security preparations for the elections since Day 1.
“His designation as PNP OIC will not affect the ongoing security preparations being implemented by the PNP as he will be able to provide good leadership and direction to the entire police force for them to be able to fulfill their peacekeeping role in this important time of our country’s history.”
Año also stressed he expects Danao to continue and further intensify the PNP’s ongoing campaign against criminality and lawlessness, Communist terrorism, illegal drugs and all forms of criminality.
“The Filipino people are counting on you,” Año reminded Danao.
In a statement, Carlos called Danao a “fine officer” deserving of his new role in the police force, assuring the public of Danao’s competence to handle the affairs of the national police organization.
“Upon my retirement, I shall pass on the baton of leadership of the Philippine National Police to Police Lieutenant General Vicente Danao Jr., the Deputy Chief for Operations, a fine officer whom I look up to with great respect and admiration,” Carlos said.
“My retirement will not in any way hamper the current preoccupation of the PNP to guarantee secure, accurate, free and fair elections on May 9th.
“The dynamics of the police service ensure seamless continuity of command to carry on with unfinished tasks and ongoing programs,” Carlos added.
PNP public information chief, Brig. Gen. Roderick Alba, also pointed to Danao’s “qualities as a leader who can deliver results especially in a crucial time that we are ushering a very important democratic exercise in the country.”
“Whatever PNP chief Gen. Carlos started will be continued by Gen. Danao. Gen. Danao will perform this new task in an OIC capacity in the meantime because of the prohibition in the movement of government positions while the election period is in effect,” Alba said.
A member of the 1991 ‘Sambisig’ Class of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Danao is also among the longest serving police director of Davao City (2013 – 2016), the hometown of the Duterte family.