The Philippine National Police may have a new chief next week.

“We are already preparing for a change of command. In fact, we already have a date, 27 March,” PNP spokesperson, Col. Jean Fajardo, told reporters in a press conference on Monday.

However, Fajardo said she had not been informed if PNP chief, General Benjamin Acorda Jr., would be replaced or who would replace him.

“If he would be replaced, if you ask me, I don’t have any information on who’ll replace him,” she added.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Acorda the 29th top official of the country’s police force on 24 April 2023.

Acorda’s term was supposed to end on 3 December 2023 after he reached the mandatory retirement age of 56, but Marcos extended his term until 31 March this year, “given that [Acorda] has successfully led the police force since his appointment in April this year.”

Acorda is a member of Philippine Military Academy Sambisig Class of 1991. He boasts nearly 37 years of service in the PNP, previously holding the position of director in the PNP Directorate for Intelligence before assuming the role of PNP chief.

Fajardo cited a law allowing Marcos to appoint the new PNP chief from police personnel with ranks of Police Brigadier General and above.

According to Fajardo, the new PNP chief usually comes from members of the police organization’s command group. Seniority is also considered in the selection process, she added.