Torre's appointment 'too sketchy' says VP Sara

Vice President Sara Duterte has raised concerns over the appointment of General Nicolas Torre III as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), calling the decision “too sketchy.”

Duterte questioned Torre’s promotion, citing alleged legal violations during his time as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), particularly when he served the arrest warrant on former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“There are recent Senate findings pointing to violations of law by this police officer. So why would you appoint him chief of police? The decision is too sketchy,” Duterte said in an ambush interview in The Hague, Netherlands, on Tuesday, 3 June.

She also took aim at the selection of House Speaker Martin Romualdez, whom she claimed had been implicated in a bribery case. Romualdez is a cousin of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“From the beginning, I’ve questioned the appointment of the Speaker of the House who is on record as being implicated in a bribery case in the United States. That alone is already questionable, right? If you know someone is involved in something like that, you wouldn’t support them as Speaker,” she added.

On 11 March 2025, authorities served an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) against the former president upon his arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Hong Kong. The warrant was related to alleged crimes against humanity during his administration’s controversial “war on drugs.”

Before his stint as CIDG chief, Torre was regional police director in the Davao Region. He also led the search and eventual arrest of televangelist Apollo Quiboloy in Davao City.