Tomorrow, November 13, is Police General Guillermo Lorenzo Tolentino Eleazar’s 56th birthday anniversary, the mandatory retirement age for Director General of the Philippine National Police. General Eleazar, fondly called “Guillor” or “Gimo” by his friends and peers, will leave his post after 34 years of service with the Philippine National Police. He’s the 6th PNP Chief to be appointed by President Duterte, after Generals Ronald “Bato” de la Rosa, Oscar Albayalde, Archie Gamboa, Camilo Cascolan, and Debold Sinas. He serves as the 26th PNP Chief since the civilian police force was formally reorganized pursuant to RA 6975, otherwise known as “An Act Establishing the Philippine National Police” in 1991.
General Eleazar was born in Tagkawayan, Quezon. The municipality of Tagkawayan borders the provinces of Quezon, Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. It is rich in agriculture and fishing and is surrounded by dense forest, which covers a wide expanse of areas. Its thick forest and porous borders make it, as well as the adjacent places, an ideal lair of the communist rebels. Thus, it’s not uncommon when we read news of encounters between the government troops and the NPAs in the place. The Eleazars are an old and revered family in Tagkawayan. Over the years, their family has produced successful professionals that brought honor to their hometown. His ancestors served in the government in various capacities with distinction. Judge Guillermo Eleazar, his namesake, was memorialized by naming the fisheries school, the Judge Guillermo Eleazar Memorial School of Fisheries, and the Southern Luzon State University-Judge Guillermo Eleazar Polytechnic College, after him. Gen. Eleazar’s father, Victor, was a feared guerilla fighter during the last war. His elder brother, Carlo, an engineer, is the incumbent mayor of his hometown. Public service is in Gen. Eleazar’s DNA. He is a folk hero and a well-loved native son of Tagkawayan, Quezon.
Gen. Eleazar was a member of PMA Class Hinirang of 1987. He graduated Cum Laude of his class. His immediate predecessor as Chief PNP, Gen. Sinas was his classmate. He elected to serve in the PNP as a Police Inspector. He went up the ladder and reached the top hierarchy through dedicated service and exemplary work. During the past five years, he has held all the critical positions required of any officer aspiring to become the Chief PNP. Consider his record: District Director of Quezon City Police District in 2017; Regional Director, Region 4A (Calabarzon) in 2018; Regional Director, National Capital Region Police Office, 2018; Chief of Directorial Staff, 2019; and Deputy Chief for Administration, 2020. During the pandemic, he also served as the Commander of the Joint Task Force Covid Shield in 2020 to 2021. As chief enforcer during our severest and longest lockdowns, he won the respect and admiration of the public by strictly implementing the protocols and regulations. He did not tolerate police abuses by enforcing stern disciplinary actions against those who violate the SOPs. As Chief of the NCRPO, the most challenging assignment in the entire police force, Gen. Eleazar focused his efforts on fighting against all forms of criminality, illegal drugs, abusive police scalawags, and terrorism. During his watch, the crime index rate in Metro Manila dropped to a historic low. He had been unforgiving in dealing with errant officers. He replaced poorly performing district directors and police chiefs of Pasay, Taguig, Las Piñas and Caloocan. He filed over 5,000 cases against erring cops, causing the dismissal of 364 officers from the service. As QCPD chief of police, his district won the highest trust ratings among all police districts in a survey conducted by Chief PNP Oscar Albayalde. Cognizant of his accomplishments, President Duterte acknowledged that under Gen. Eleazar’s leadership, NCRPO “has become one of the most trustworthy and reliable units of the PNP.” Gen. Eleazar was awarded the “Presidential Lingkod ng Bayan Award in 2019” by the Civil Service Commission for his sterling service as NCRPO Chief.
When Gen. Albayalde left his position, Gen. Eleazar was already among those considered for the appointment, but the post went to General Archie Gamboa who was his senior at the PMA. Again, he was edged out by Gen. Camilo Cascolan who took over the Chief PNP position when Gen. Gamboa retired. Everyone believed that Gen. Eleazar would succeed Cascolan as he was already the second highest police officer before Cascolan retired, but he would be denied the honor. It went to his controversial classmate and subordinate, Gen. Debold Sinas. But the roster of Chief PNP would be hollow unless it includes the name of Gen. Eleazar. He would not be denied the glory. Finally, when Sinas reached his mandatory retirement, President Duterte designated Eleazar on May 8 as the next Chief PNP. DILG Secretary Eduardo Año cited that Eleazar was appointed “based on seniority, merit, service, reputation and competence.” Many commented that Eleazar should have been appointed earlier.
On his first major interview with anchorwoman Karen Davila, Eleazar proved that he would be the nemesis of scalawags in uniform. He vowed to clean up the PNP and rid the organization of the rotten and corrupt eggs. His first order was for the police officers to wear body cams when they effect search warrants and warrants of arrest. He asked for more budget to procure more body cams to be distributed to the police stations around the country. He’s a believer of the so-called “broken-window theory,” which was popularized by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. It simply means that there are visible signs of disorder, incivility and antisocial behaviors such as broken windows that should alert the authorities to act. In other words, Eleazar wants to arrest the problem before it becomes big and insoluble. Gen. Eleazar is a strong advocate of police-community collaboration. He said that “the fight against criminality is not only on the shoulders of the police. We also need the cooperation and support of the public and the local government.” He definitely puts to good use his Master’s Degree in Public Administration, which he earned from the Philippine Christian University.
Eleazar has served the PNP for 34 years. He has received a total of 266 medals during his entire career, making him one of the most bemedalled police officers of our country. If you visit the Manila Police district headquarters in UN Avenue, Manila, you can read this memorable quote inscribed in a stone: “Go spread the word, tell the passers-by that in this little world men knew how to die.” Dead police officers are not our only heroes. It’s more difficult to be a living hero like Eleazar. His life is studded with acts of heroism, big and small, which have marked his more than three decades of service in the police force. Long live, Gen. Eleazar!