Ret. Generals Recall Acorda During Their Stint

 By Mortz C. Ortigoza 

Retired police generals congratulated, well-wish and recollected the days when the newly appointed chief of the 28,000 strong Philippines National Police was a cadet, junior officer and a colonel.

Former Police Major General and Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil told Northern Watch Newspaper that he told Police Director General Benjamin Casuga Acorda, Jr. in a multimedia messaging system (MMS) that he can perform his role because “it appears that he is very supportive to the transformation program of the national government and the PNP in particular”.

GENERALS. Philippines National Police Chief Director General Benjamin Casuga Acorda, Jr. (left photo and clockwise), former PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao and retired Police Major Gen. and Lingayen Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil.

He lauded too Acorda for his appointment and the trust and confidence bestowed to him by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and the members of Congress.

Bataoil Recalls Acorda PMA Days

Acorda – a member of Class 1991 of the Philippines Military Academy – was a student of Bataoil when the latter a Major was a senior tactical officer of the Academy based in Baguio City in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

“And he is low profile officer,” he recalled the illustrious son of Ilocos Norte when Acorda was a junior officer during his tenure as the police Region-1 Director.

12^th Chief PNP Lauds the 29^th Chief Cop

The 12^th national police chief retired Director Gen. Arturo Lomibao learned from his former security and senior sergeant that the 29^th Chief PNP Acorda was his intelligence officer when he was the police regional director of the Ilocos Region 22 years ago.

“Chief Master Sgt. Allan Quigao then my security detail, has this to say when I asked him about his former boss in Intel then Colonel Acorda,” Lomibao narrated on his Facebook Account.

“Parang ikaw sir, hindi palaimik, pero mabait at low-profile lang”.

Kamusta naman sa trabaho, hindi ba involved sa (illegal) drugs? I asked further.

“Masipag sir, at wala akong nababalitaan na kalukuhan lalo na sa drugs”

“Eh sa chicks,” I joked.

“Iyan Sir ang di ko ma-sure. Intel kasi kaya masekreto,” the Sarge told the four-star retired General.

Lomibao and Acorda are members of the Philippines Military Academy Classes of 1972 and 1991, respectively.

Pangasinan Intel Chief Recollects Acorda’s Stints

Then Lt. Colonel Paterno Orduña remembered Acorda when the former was the chief provincial intelligence officer – law enforcers jargoned it as S-2 – under then Pangasinan Police Provincial Office Director Amado T. Espino, Jr.

Espino who became Pangasinan Governor and Congressman was the classmate of Lomibao at the PMA.

 “Masipag at very low profile. Siya ang madalas mag-lead sa mga combat operations sa western Pangasinan despite his assignment as Chief of Police of Sual Police Station. He followed orders without question nor hesitation pagdating sa operations. He was also instrumental in clearing west Pangasinan of notorious criminal elements when he was assigned as the Chief of Police of Bolinao PS. Kasama namin sa Task Force Highlander. My high regards and my salute to our new CPNP Jun Acorda,”  Orduña– a rock and roll aficionado - cited.

Aside from Sual and Bolinao, Acorda – according to Sta. Barbara Mayor Lito Zaplan - served the first class central Pangasinan town too as its chief of police.

Acorda studied Bachelor of Laws in the 1990s at the University of Pangasinan in Dagupan City.

“He is a Pangasinense by assimilation,” Mayor Bataoil quipped to this writer.

Acorda Eclipses Three Senior Generals

Retired General Lomibao said that during the jockeying for the police’s top post, he thought Acorda was a dark horse because he was then only a two-star general.

The Ilocos Norte native and the presidential province mate prior to his appointment as the Chief of the national police was the head of the Directorial for Intelligence – a feared post because it looks against unscrupulous members of the PNP - based at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

“Tititigan ko lang si General____, Sir, yumuyuko na siya parang feeling may kasalanan,” Acorda when he was D.I Chief told his former head at the D.I retired Police Major Gen. Mariel Magaway (PMA 1986) during the birthday last October 2022 of the latter at his posh residence in Pasig City.

The then two-star general told Magaway that the D.I helped in significantly checking the knaves in the police force.

“He jumped over 3 senior officers occupying 3-star positions. But it’s a given that the president

selects the chief from a field of 1 to 3-star generals,” the Mangaldan, Pangasinan based General Lomibao said.

The former top cop explained that upon reaching the rank of a (one-star) general, the holder is properly equipped with the tools of the trade like experience, knowledge and skills, and he is ready to assume the highest position in the PNP.

 “Perhaps, other generals have more of these qualities but eventually the appointed chief through self-improvement plus mentoring by his elders will eventually gain the wisdom to be able to lead the force, provided however, that he does his job without fear or favor and not lose sight of the national interest”.

The PNP chief is also an ex officio member of the National Police Commission as a commissioner.