Nick Torre appointed MMDA chief, deemed ‘resigned’ from PNP
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) director general Nicolas Torre has been deemed ‘resigned’ from the police force after accepting the post as the new general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
The development now paved the way for the formal assumption of PLTGEN. Jose Melencio Nartatez, who succeeded Torre in acting capacity after his forced resignation.
Torre was appointed as the 31st Chief PNP by President Marcos Junior last June 2025 with the retirement of Chief PNP PGEN. Rommel Marbil.
His tenure, however, proved very brief after Malacañang in August forced him out for alleged “insubordination” for effecting a reshuffle of the PNP’s top leadership allegedly without first securing the approval of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
Torre has played a pivotal role in the Marcos administration’s anti-Duterte campaign by effecting the arrest in November 2024, of Pastor Apollo Quibuloy, a close Duterte ally in the religious sector, during Torre’s stint as Davao regional police director.
In March 2025, Torre, as director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), led the police team that forced former president Rodrigo Duterte to board a government chartered plane that took him to The Netherlands to face trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Instead of filing for an early retirement, however, Torre announced his intention to finish his police service that would have run until he reached the retirement age of 56 in March 2026.
The situation made the position of Nartatez awkward as he is forced to discharge his duty as ‘Acting’ Chief PNP until Torre’s actual retirement.
The law mandates that there can only one 4-star officer in the PNP, the Director General.
To massage his bruise ego and erase the embarrassment from his forced resignation, Malacañang
announced Torre would be given another post in the government.
After a wait of several months, Torre formally took his oath as MMDA general manager before Executive Secretary Ralph Recto last December 19.
Comments are closed.