Who Is Police Major General Benjamin Acorda Jr., the New Philippine National Police Chief?
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. appointed Police Major General Benjamin Acorda Jr. as the country's new Philippine National Police (PNP) chief on Monday, April 24. This comes after the retirement of outgoing chief General Rodolfo Azurin Jr.
As the second PNP chief of the new Marcos administration, Acorda hopes to address the controversies that surround the 220,000-strong police force right now. He will also be sitting as ex-officio commissioner of the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
The decorated general has close to 40 years' worth of experience in service. Before becoming the PNP's 29th chief, Acorda served as the director of the intelligence and counterintelligence initiatives of the force.
Who Is Police Major General Benjamin Acorda Jr.?
Acorda graduated from the Philippine Military Academy's Sambisig Class of 1991 and would go on to earn a Master's degree in Management from the Philippine Christian University. Acorda was also awarded the Bronze Cross Medal by the Armed Forces of the Philippines for his "heroism involving risk of life."
He was a commander who has led various police stations in Pangasinan and then Palawan. He was chief of the Palawan Police Provincial Office when it became the highest-ranking local force for operational accomplishments. Meanwhile, his work as an investigator once led him to become the chief of the Camanava Criminal Investigation and Detection Team of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). He headed the CIDG's Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division, as well.
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Acorda further made a name for himself in Northern Mindanao, where he became the deputy regional director for the administration of the Northern Mindanao police. He later became its regional director in 2021.
He was also the chief of staff of the Civil Security Group and deputy director for operations of the National Capital Region Police Office. For a short period, he led the PNP Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group.
The general is also notable for his efforts to create the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group. As an officer, he has been recognized by countries like China and Taiwan for his achievements. Acorda is also a member of the United Nations Blue Helmets. This means he was part of a group of officers that were deployed as part of the Philippine contingent in the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Haiti.
What He's Up Against
The PNP is currently embroiled in a controversy that alleges that high-ranking officials are trying to cover up a past arrest of an officer that was involved in a P6.7-billion shabu operation in Manila. The findings for this case have yet to be concluded. As ex-officio commissioner of Napolcom, Acorda will now be leading the investigation.
His other duties include the evaluation of resignations from the force dealt with in the past year. Earlier, the government requested generals and colonels who were involved in the illegal drug trade to submit their resignations as a courtesy to the state.
Acorda will be asked to improve the PNP's transparency, as well. According to the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office, the force is mandated to “undertake information campaigns to project government findings and measures implemented in relation to human rights violations of PNP personnel.”
Unfortunately, the last time the unit released data and information on alleged human rights violations was in 2020.
The PNP still faces serious human rights abuse accusations from the International Criminal Court's current probe into the previous administration's War on Drugs campaign.
