LT. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. took his oath as head of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Wednesday, Malacañang said.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the donning of the four-star rank for Nartatez in a ceremony at Malacañang.
”The president conveyed his greetings and support to Gen[eral] Nartatez for his excellence in leadership within the police force,” Castro said in a press conference.
“The president also recognized the important roles played by the police in maintaining order and security in the country.” Nartatez, the country’s 32nd PNP chief, replaced Gen. Nicolas Torre III in an acting capacity on Aug. 26, 2025. Torre was removed from the position following a dispute with the National Police Commission over the reassignment of several senior PNP officials.
Nartatez said the president ordered him to lower criminality in the country.
”We will strengthen morale and welfare because discipline and motivation are operational necessities, not privileges,” he said in a speech. “We will enforce integrity at all levels because public trust is built by conduct and loss of tolerance of wrongdoing.” Nartatez has held multiple key positions since joining the police force in 1992, including director for comptrollership and intelligence, and memberships in the elite PNP Special Action Force, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.
He served as PNP deputy chief for administration from 2024 to 2025, National Capital Region Police Office director from 2023 to 2024 and regional director of Police Regional Office 4A (Calabarzon) from 2022 to 2023. He was the Ilocos Norte Police Provincial Office director from 2016 to 2018.
In 2006, Nartatez was promoted to the rank of police lieutenant colonel. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Tanglaw-Diwa Class of 1992 and holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
