Torre, who led Duterte arrest, is new PNP chief

Maj. Gen. Nicolas Torre III, the man who arrested former president Rodrigo Duterte and flushed out pastor Apollo Quiboloy from his hideout in Davao City, has made history as the first graduate of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) to be appointed chief of the 235,000-strong national police force.

- By EMMANUEL TUPAS

The son of a police officer and a teacher, Torre is set to take over the post of Gen.

Rommel Marbil who retires on June 2.

A native of Jolo, Sulu, the 55-year-old Torre is the fourth PNP chief under the administration of President Marcos and the 31st in the police force's history.

Torre shared an image of his mobile phone, which received at least 1,225 text messages and 23 missed calls after his appointment was announced yesterday by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

PMAyers' dominance in PNP ended Torre is a member of the PNPA's Tagapaglunsad Class of 1993.

He ended the dominance of Philippine Military Academy graduates in the police force as Marcos did not choose someone from PMA Classes '91 and '92, the batches where the next PNP chief could have come from.

Torre thanked his supporters in a Facebook post but shunned making or receiving phone calls, saying his cellphone was already swamped with messages. "Thanks for the support. Just text, my phone is getting hot," he said in his post in jest.

His exploits did not sit well with DDS or Diehard Duterte Supporters who continue to attack him on social media platforms.

As director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, he led the PNP's primary investigative arm in the arrest of other high-profile personalities.

Torre is also an innovator as it was he who introduced the three-minute response time when he was director of the Quezon City Police District.