Assumption of Office Ceremony of the Incoming Regional Director, PRO 11 PBGEN NICOLAS DELOSO TORRE III, together with PMGEN BENJAMIN H SILO, JR Commander Area Police Command Eastern-Mindanao at Pulis Bagani Hall, Camp Sgt. Quintin M Merecido Buhangin, Davao City. (Screengrab Police Regional Office 11/FACEBOOK LIVE)
DAVAO CITY 鈥� Police聽Brigadier聽General Nicolas Deloso Torre III, the new police director in the Davao region, formally assumed office on Sunday, aware of the challenges he was about to face, he told the media during the聽turnover of command at Camp Merecido in this city.
Torre replaced Brigadier General Aligre L. Martinez after the latter was relieved from his post barely 50 days after assuming office and three days following the June 10 operation that failed to arrest Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Torre, who arrived in this city from Manila around 9 a.m. on Sunday, accepted his new post during the turnover of command presided by Police Major General Benjamin Silo Jr., commander of the area police command of Eastern Mindanao.
鈥淚鈥檓 fully aware of the challenges I will be facing here and in the aftermath of the controversies and issues we鈥檝e witnessed the past week,鈥� Torre told police officers and the media.
Martinez was relieved from his post on June 13, three days after the June 10 simultaneous police operations in five properties of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) here, on Samal Island, Davao del Norte, and in Malungon town of Sarangani province to arrest Quiboloy, who faces child abuse, sexual abuse, and qualified human trafficking charges in Davao and Pasay city courts.
Aside from Martinez, who is reassigned to the Police Holding and Accounting Unit under the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management in Camp Crame,聽12 personnel of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Special Action Force were also relieved and reassigned to the Calabarzon area after the failed police operation.
Torre told the media that the arrest of聽Quiboloy would not be his main focus.
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鈥淭hat鈥檚 not my center of focus now. There is a national headquarters that鈥檚 taking care of that,鈥� said Torre, who, as head of the Quezon City Police District, implemented the 聽鈥渢hree-minute response time鈥� requiring policemen to respond to crimes and other emergencies within three minutes after being informed.
He said he would try聽to replicate聽the concept here.
鈥�(The Davao region),聽specifically Davao City, is the birthplace of 911,聽which has been replicated in the entire country,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hat we鈥檝e done in Quezon City was the聽three-minute response, and I鈥檒l try to replicate it here,鈥� Torre said.
Silo said Torre was chosen as the new regional director because of his extensive experience and dedication to duty. 鈥淎t this time, our organization needs a leader who is adaptive and strategic in vision,鈥� Silo said.
Torre said he was still waiting for orders about Quiboloy鈥檚 arrest from the headquarters. 鈥淚 will wait for specific orders but right now, (I have to focus on the) PNP mission first. There鈥檚 no regional director here because of some administrative movements, a decision from the 聽national headquarters, so I鈥檓 here as the regional director,鈥� Torre said.
Torre, a former director of the聽PNP Communications and Electronics Service, is a member of the Philippine National Police Academy Tagapaglunsad Class of 1993. He聽was born in Jolo and聽was聽raised in Koronadal, South Cotabato.聽His first assignment was in Cotabato province.