New PNP chief Acorda...

will be transparent.”

He is expected to lead the PNP for almost eight months, with his retirement set on Dec. 3 when he turns 56 years old, the mandatory retirement age.

Acorda replaced now retired Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr., whom the President thanked for his leadership and service to the country.

‘Dependable’

Explaining his choice of Acorda, Mr. Marcos said in an interview over stateowned Radyo Pilipinas: “There are many things happening in our police, we’re looking at them. We’re having problems so there is a need for us to place a dependable commander [and Acorda] is somebody who is well-known to me.”

The president said he knew the abilities and reputation of Acorda inside the PNP and that Acorda’s name was “always part of the shortlist” for PNP chief.

“He is well-recognized within the police force and even in our civilian leadership, especially in the places he’d been in— he became a PD (provincial director) and RD (regional director). We heard his name and the report about him is good so I said, maybe, he is the one most fit [to be PNP chief] now,” he said.

Ilocano roots

Just like his predecessor, Acorda traces his roots back to Mr. Marcos’ home province of Ilocos Norte where he grew up and finished his elementary and secondary education at Gabaldon Elementary School’s Special Education Center in the capital city of Laoag and Bacarra National Comprehensive High School in Bacarra town, respectively, before moving to the Philippine Military Academy where he graduated in 1991. He also has a Master’s Degree in Management from the Philippine Christian University.

Acorda’s father and namesake served as a lawyer for the Citizen’s Legal Assistance Office, the economy, with growth also projected at 6 percent. While the Philippines will also be facing challenges like the rest of the world, ADB Philippines country director Kelly Bird sees the country growing “at its potential this year and next, and is on track toward its goal to become an upper middle-income country.” to-shoulder as allies to bring greater security, prosperity and stability to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.”

During the Philippine Economic Briefing we hosted in Washington, DC last April 12, the country’s economic managers led by Finance Secretary Ben Diokno, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman and National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Arsenio Balisacan were able to deliver a clear message to all the attendees composed of American business executives, U.S. government officials, think tanks and those from the business, financial and investment community that the Philippines is open for business and is ready to engage the United States to further strengthen trade and investment ties as well as deepen public-private sector collaboration.

The participants were impressed with the presentations and the succeeding Q and A that highlighted how “the Philippine economy managed to weather the storms and stay the course towards sustainable economic growth” amid a challenging global environment, as Secretary Diokno put it. Among the sectors that generated a lot of interest include energy, information technology-business process management (IT-BPM), semiconductor and agribusiness. There are also tremendous opportunities in logistics, transportation, manufacturing, tourism, health, education and digital connectivity.

Aside from the IMF-World Bank Annual Spring Meetings and the Philippine Economic Briefing, there was also the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue of Foreign Affairs Secretary Ricky Manalo and Defense OIC Charlie Galvez with U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Speaker Martin Romualdez – who was at the Philippine Economic Briefing – also led a delegation of congressmen to Washington and engaged with members of the U.S. House of Representatives that included Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. The visit was capped by a meeting between Speaker Romualdez and his American counterpart, the new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy of California. As described by Speaker Martin, the meetings were very fruitful and engaging, with legislators from both countries recognizing the important role they play in ensuring that the benefits of the “dynamic relationship” between the two nations would become even more tangible.

“Our message to the U.S. legislators was clear. The U.S.-Philippine relation is strong, and is reaching new heights and levels of understanding under the administrations of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. and U.S. President Joe Biden,” Speaker Romualdez said, explaining that the delegation of Filipino congressmen managed to impress upon Speaker McCarthy the need to ramp up discussion between legislators from both countries in order to boost bilateral relations.

In other words, the whole Philippine government’s relationship with the United States is on an upswing. But what is most significant is that all these interactions do not solely address concerns regarding defense and security but, more importantly, also focus on the economic aspect of the relationship as our nations seek mutual prosperity and economic security.

I hope those naysayers who continue to carp about our defense agreements with the United States would look more closely on the positive side of having more opportunities for trade mainly due to peace and security. (Philstar.com) now known as the Public Attorney’s Office, in La Union province. His mother, Purificacion Casuga Acorda, was a government nurse in La Union.

Prior to becoming PNP chief, he widely served in his home province of Ilocos Norte as chief of operations and plans, intelligence officer and assistant provincial director for operations in 2008, and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group deputy chief of operations in 2010.

He headed the Palawan provincial police and the regional police office in Northern Mindanao before he headed the Directorate for Intelligence in August 2022.

The low-profile Acorda has no known baggage and will be stepping into the PNP leadership without major controversies linked to his name in a career spanning more than three decades.

The new PNP chief also earned numerous accolades, including the Bronze Cross Medal, a prestigious single-

The 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue recognized the important role of the alliance in maintaining peace and stability in the IndoPacific region and put forth a shared vision that supports an international rules-based order and deeper economic ties, along with an “enduring commitment to stand shoulder- grade military decoration of the AFP awarded for heroism involving risk of life, and several presidential citations, awards and decorations.

Acorda served as the chief of staff of the PNP Civil Security Group and was one of the officials who pioneered the creation of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group.

Right choice

Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. welcomed Acorda’s appointment and assured him of his agency’s support.

Senators on Monday also lauded the appointment of Acorda, with Sen. Ronald dela Rosa saying that he was the “best choice” to lead the PNP.

Dela Rosa, himself a

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* * * babeseyeview@gmail.com former PNP chief, described Acorda as a “silent operator” and a “very professional officer” who knows how to stand his ground despite “pressures from selfish politicians.”

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri was also elated over Acorda’s designation as he noted the police general’s accomplishments when he led the Northern Mindanao regional police.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros said she received information that Acorda was “wellmeaning and idealistic,” qualities that would help him implement reforms in the police organization.

In the House of Representatives, dangerous drugs committee chair Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said Acorda should continue cleansing the PNP’s ranks amid controversies surrounding its antinarcotics drive.

In Pangasinan province, Arturo Lomibao, also a former PNP chief, said he believed Acorda was prepared to assume the post with his “experience, knowledge and skills” despite “jumping over” three senior officers occupying three-star positions.

Retired Police Col. Paterno Orduña, a former intelligence officer of the Pangasinan police, described Acorda as a “hardworking” and “lowprofile” junior officer in Pangasinan when Lomibao served the Ilocos regional police. (With reports from Marlon Ramos, Julie M. Aurelio, Yolanda Sotelo and John Michael Mugas) n