The growing rift within the Marcos Jr. administration can no longer be concealed following the abrupt removal of Police General Nicolas Torre III as Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), just 85 days into his term.
“We consider the sudden removal of PNP Chief Nicolas Torre III after merely 85 days in position as unmistakable evidence of escalating internal conflicts and systemic breakdown within the Marcos administration,” declared the Makabayan Bloc in Congress.
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio pointed to the ongoing reshuffling and infighting within the PNP as proof of deepening divisions in the administration.
“The constant rigodon and power struggles inside the PNP reveal intensifying factionalism within the Marcos government,” Tinio said. “Competing groups are vying for control amid rampant corruption, inadequate social services, and worsening poverty.”
Torre’s public confrontation with the National Police Commission (Napolcom) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Remulla laid bare serious internal conflict within the administration’s law enforcement apparatus.
Assistant Deputy Leader and Kabataan Party-list Rep. Atty. Renee Louise Co said Torre’s removal reflects the typical behavior of a “reactionary and authoritarian government,” where rival elite factions clash while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of deteriorating public services, rising living costs, and ongoing human rights abuses.
“This recent development mirrors the typical behavior of reactionary and authoritarian governments,” Co said. “Rival elite factions wage internal battles while ordinary citizens endure worsening public services, escalating costs of living, and persistent human rights abuses. Simply replacing officials will not solve the deep-rooted problems of the PNP as a tool of repression against the people.”
The Makabayan Bloc urged the public not to be distracted by the power struggle and instead focus on urgent national issues: justice for victims of human rights violations, accountability for top officials involved in massive corruption in flood control projects, confidential and intelligence funds, and other pork barrel allocations, as well as the Marcos administration’s failure to ensure livable wages and affordable living conditions.
“We urge the Filipino people to look past these internal power struggles,” Tinio concluded, “and concentrate on pressing concerns: justice for human rights victims, holding high officials accountable for massive corruption, and the administration’s failure to ensure adequate wages and affordable cost of living.”
It may be recalled that Jaime Santiago also resigned as head of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), citing internal intrigues against him. The PNP and NBI are the country’s two primary law enforcement agencies. (ROSE NOVENARIO)
