President Arroyo has appointed Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. as the next chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to replace Director General Oscar Calderon who will retire on Oct. 1.
Razon expressed gratitude for the trust and confidence the President has given him to head the 125,000-strong police force.
He also vowed to continue the programs initiated by his predecessor Calderon, who will relinquish the command of the PNP to Razon during turnover ceremonies at noon next Monday.
“I thank our President for the trust she has given me. I take this as a challenge to further improve the delivery of public service to make the PNP a more credible, efficient and competent police force,” Razon said in a telephone interview.
Razon was attending the budget hearing at the Senate when he learned of his appointment as chief of the PNP. Mrs. Arroyo made the announcement during a meeting in Iligan City.
Calderon was also satisfied with the appointment of Razon, whom he earlier endorsed to be his successor.
Razon said he would continue the programs started by Calderon, particularly the housing program that would help uplift the standard of living of policemen who reside in squatter areas.
A study showed over 60 percent of the 125,000 policemen do not have decent houses.
The appointment of Razon, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1974, did not surprise PNP officials, the media and other sectors. Razon was the first member of his PMA class to earn a star rank or chief superintendent.
Razon earned his master’s degree in management from the Philippine Christian University and his master’s in public administration from the Manuel L. Quezon University. He is also taking up law and is now in his fourth year at Jose Rizal University.
“My program to move the PNP forward will be basically the actualization of its motto ‘We serve and protect the community.’ Through this motto, we shall reinforce the servant leadership concept that we are servants first because we want to serve and protect,” Razon said in an earlier interview.
He said that his program will incorporate the continued implementation of the PNP’s Integrated Transformation Program which started in 2003 and would provide the desired holistic approach, continuity and sustainability of the programs of past PNP chiefs.
“I will follow through with the prioritization of the 12 quick win projects, specific action program to include the four-point program thrust on anti-criminality, anti insurgency, anti-terrorism and internal reforms to jumpstart the reform process for immediate results and positive impact on the PNP reorganization and the community,” said Razon.
He was the head of Task Force Usig, the special unit created to investigate unexplained killings, when President Arroyo issued the order to solve 10 cases of killings of activists.
The PNP and the Task Force Usig managed to file 21 cases in court and arrested 12 suspects in just nine weeks.
Razon was born on Sept. 27, 1952 and is married to Cecilia with whom he has a daughter and three sons.
Razon had served as aide-de-camp to then Gen. Fidel Ramos, who became president in 1992. He is the classmate of Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
Even his closest rival for the PNP top post, Metro Manila police chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Varilla, described him as a “well-rounded” police officer, having served as head of police units involved in operations and administration.
For over 20 years in public service, Razon has received more than 63 awards and medals for his accomplishments.
Razon served as head of the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) before his appointment to the directorial staff. He is the only police officer who served as director of the Manila Police District for two terms, first from May 1996 to August 1998 and then again from December 1999 to March 2001.
Along with Chief Superintendent Rodolfo “Boogie” Mendoza, deputy chief for Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, Razon was credited for unearthing Operation Bojinka, a plot of Muslim terrorists to detonate bombs on board commercial airliners and also use bomb-laden airplanes to attack targets in the United States. - With Paolo Romero