RetiredPGEN Archie Francisco F. Gamboa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Gamboa at SEA Games opening in 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chief of thePhilippine National Police | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 20, 2020 – September 2, 2020 October 14, 2019 – January 20, 2020 (Officer in Charge) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Rodrigo Duterte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | PGENOscar Albayalde | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | PGENCamilo Cascolan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Archie Francisco Feranil Gamboa (1964-09-02)September 2, 1964 (age 60) Malaybalay,Bukidnon, Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Philippine Military Academy(B.Sc. Mil.) Father Saturnino Urios University(MBA) Ateneo de Davao University José Rizal University(LL.B.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Branch/service | Philippine Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1986–1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Police career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | Philippine National Police | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Divisions |
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| Service years | 1997–2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank |  Police General | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Archie Francisco Feranil Gamboa (Tagalog:[ɡɐmˈboʊ.a]; born September 2, 1964) is aFilipino lawyer and retired police general who served as the 23rdChief of the Philippine National Police[1][2] from October 2019 to September 2020.
Gamboa was born and raised inBukidnon and graduated from thePhilippine Military Academy in 1986. He served in thePhilippine Army'sScout Rangers inNorthern Mindanao before joining the police force in 1997 as the spokesperson of theDavao Region Police Office. He was the provincial police chief of Bukidnon from 2005 to 2007 and was later assigned toCamp Crame,Caraga, andCalabarzon. While at Camp Crame, he studied law atJosé Rizal University and passed thebar exam in 2004. In 2017, he became the Chief of the Directorial Staff, the PNP's fourth-highest position, and rose through the ranks, becoming the Deputy Chief for Administration in 2019—the second-highest position. AfterOscar Albayalde's resignation in October 2019 amidst theninja cops controversy, Gamboa was appointedofficer-in-charge (OIC) of the PNP.[2] In January 2020, PresidentRodrigo Duterte officially appointed Gamboa as PNP Chief.[1] In that capacity, he oversaw the security of the2019 Southeast Asian Games and the implementation ofcommunity quarantines early into theCOVID-19 pandemic.
Gamboa is a native of the province ofBukidnon, having been born inMalaybalay on September 2, 1964.[3] He completed his primary education atMaramag's central elementary school and for his secondary education, he attended and graduated fromAteneo de Davao University located inDavao City.[3] In 1982, Gamboa enlisted as a cadet in thePhilippine Military Academy inBaguio and graduated as a member of theSinagtala Class of 1986, the same batch as the two PNP Chiefs that preceded him:Ronald dela Rosa andOscar Albayalde, as well as his successor, Camilo Cascolan. His contemporaryAFP Chiefs,Felimon Santos Jr. andGilbert Gapay, were also his batchmates.[2][4]
Gamboa later attained aMaster of Business Administration fromFather Saturnino Urios University inButuan in 1995.[3] He then pursued law school atAteneo de Davao University in 1998 during his stint as spokesman for the Davao Region Police Office in Davao City. After being assigned with the PNPCriminal Investigation and Detection Group inQuezon City in 2002, Gamboa transferred toJosé Rizal University where he completed hisBachelor of Laws in 2004 and was admitted to thePhilippine Bar in May 2005.[3][2]
Gamboa began his military and policing career as a member of the1st Scout Ranger Regiment of thePhilippine Army deployed toTalakag, Bukidnon to suppress the localcommunist rebellion in the area. He received amilitary merit medal andmilitary commendation medal for this assignment.[5] He then spent several years as a battalion command staff member inNorthern Mindanao before officially joining the national police force as a spokesperson for the Davao Region Police Office based in Camp Panacan, Davao City in 1997. After four years, Gamboa transferred to thenational headquarters of thePhilippine National Police as a duty officer of theCriminal Investigation and Detection Group. He spent two years inCamp Crame before returning toMindanao to serve as provincial police chief in his nativeBukidnon in 2005.[5][2]
As chief of the Bukidnon Provincial Police Office based inMalaybalay, Gamboa initiated programs to significantly reduce crime and stifle the communist insurgency in the province.[5] He was again reassigned in Camp Crame as chief of the Legislative Affairs Center under the PNP Directorate for Plans in 2007 and as chief of the Logistics Resource Management Division under the PNP Directorate for Logistics until 2008. Gamboa then served briefly as chief of the Regional Comptrollership Division of the Caraga Regional Police Office inButuan until 2009.[2]
Gamboa's other early leadership positions with the national police include serving as chief of the Budget Division of the PNP Directorate for Comptrollership in 2012 and sitting as chief of the Bids and Awards Committee Secretariat Division of the PNP Directorate for Logistics in 2013.[2] Between 2013 and 2015, Gamboa was assigned with the Calabarzon Region Police Office inCalamba, Laguna as regional chief of the Calabarzon PNP Directorial Staff and then as the regional police's Deputy Chief for Operations. As a Calabarzon PNP executive, he initiated measures to achieve a zero backlog in administrative cases of erring personnel using his lawyer skills and experience.[5] Gamboa earned hisone-star rank while serving as Executive Officer of the PNP Directorate for Logistics in 2015.[3]
Gamboa then served as deputy director for the logistics directorate before taking on the role of Director for Comptrollership in 2016. As comptrollership chief, he was frequently seen representing the Philippine National Police in budget hearings in thePhilippine Senate andHouse of Representatives.[6] He was also credited for reinstating the combat duty pay and combat incentive pay for PNP personnel and the specialist pay for theInternal Affairs Service and theMaritime Group as comptrollership director.[5] He earned histhree-star rank in March 2017 when he was appointed as Chief of the Directorial Staff, the fourth-highest position within the Philippine National Police.[2]
In September 2018, Gamboa became the third-highest ranking PNP official when he was promoted as Deputy Chief for Operations.[2] As deputy chief, he served as task force commander for the2019 Philippine general election who also oversaw the security preparations and implementation of the2019 Bangsamoro autonomy plebiscite.[5] He also helped with the internal cleansing drive of the national police by implementing preventive, punitive and restorative measures within the organization amid criticisms of thePhilippine Drug War.[5] He was again promoted as Deputy Chief for Administration in October 2019 and became PNP's second-in-command.[2]
FollowingOscar Albayalde's resignation on October 14, 2019 amid theninja cops controversy, Gamboa was appointed byInterior SecretaryEduardo Año to serve asofficer in charge of the Philippine National Police, being the second-highest officer in the organization.[3] While the position of PNP Chief remained vacant for months after Albayalde's resignation, PresidentRodrigo Duterte had tasked Secretary Año to supervise, lead, fix and purge the scandal-ridden national police while Gamboa stays as officer in charge.[1] On January 17, 2020, Duterte officially announced his appointment of Lieutenant General Gamboa as PNP Chief.[6][1]
As then Acting PNP Chief, he was responsible for the overall police preparations during the2019 Southeast Asian Games.[7]
On March 5, aBell 429 helicopter carrying Gamboa and seven other police officials crashed after it hit power cables just after takeoff inSan Pedro, Laguna. Gamboa was conscious when he was pulled out from the wreckage; he suffered injuries on his shoulder and right hand and was brought toSt. Luke's Medical Center inTaguig. However, two police generals who accompanied Gamboa were in critical condition after the crash, while the others had minor injuries. Gamboa and his entourage had just finished inspecting a facility for impounded vehicles in San Pedro and were on their way to Camp Vicente Lim in nearbyCalamba when the crash occurred.[8][9][10] LGenCamilo Cascolan, the Deputy Chief for Administration, was the officer-in-charge of the PNP while Gamboa recovered from his injuries.[11] On March 9, Gamboa reported back to work wearing asling on his right arm.[12]
On March 16, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic,Luzon and its associated islands wereplaced under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) by President Duterte, while astate of public health emergency was earlier declared for the whole country.[13] To enforce the ECQ, the PNP had set up checkpoints to limit non-essential movement and travel. On March 17, Gamboa announced that people on non-essential travel will be arrested if they insist on passing through the checkpoints. He also acknowledged the shortage ofpersonal protective equipment (PPEs) for the police officers manning the checkpoints.[14] On March 31, Gamboa announced that the nationwide crime rate was reduced by 56% which he attributed to the implementation of the ECQ.[15]
Gamboa tested negative for COVID-19 on April 1, after possible exposure to the disease, as Interior SecretaryEduardo Año tested positive the previous day. Despite having no recent meeting with Año, Gamboa underwent a 14-day quarantine and did not show any symptoms of the disease.[16]
On April 21, Gamboa announced that those who will violate the ECQ in Luzon will not be warned anymore—instead, they would be immediately arrested and undergo inquest proceedings, citing theBayanihan to Heal as One Act.[17] Explaining the change in policy, Gamboa said: "We need to do this because we also want to mitigate the continued risks faced by frontline PNP personnel who are exposed to increasing number of people and motorists violating the ECQ at checkpoints." At that time, at least 55 PNP personnel have tested positive for COVID-19, while 136,517 people were recorded to have violated the ECQ (of which 31,363 have been arrested, 6,168 fined, and 98,986 were issued warnings).[18][19] Two days later, he reconsidered his statement saying that more arrests will congest the prisons, some of which already have cases of COVID-19. He said that violators can be required to do community service or fined instead of being detained, explaining that the violators must be punished "to a certain degree" so they would understand the seriousness of the situation.[20]
On April 21,Winston Ragos, a retired soldier withPTSD, was fatally shot by PMSg Daniel Florendo Jr. at a checkpoint inQuezon City. Ragos, who was scolded for violating the ECQ, allegedly attempted to pull out a gun after a heated argument with the police officers. The incident was filmed by a CCTV and phone camera and the footage wentviral online.[21][22][23] In an interview onCNN Philippines'The Source, Gamboa reacted to the incident: "According to the report, [Ragos] tried to draw his firearm. That's why it resorted to the decision, which was really a judgment call on the part of Florendo on what to do at that very moment". Gamboa also added that the police officers had "no way of knowing" Ragos' mental illness.[22] In a separate interview withANC, Gamboa explained: "When you are confronted with a person armed with a pistol, its equivalent is also a pistol. When we are confronted with an armed aggressor or a suspect—because a lot of policemen have already died—actually my instruction is really don't let the other person go first."[23] Nonetheless, Gamboa assured that an investigation is underway, and that the PNP is in communication with theCommission on Human Rights, adding: "We have to know all the facts. We sympathize with the family of Ragos, but please give the PNP the trust that we will investigate this case thoroughly."[22] On April 24, Master Sergeant Florendo was charged for homicide.[24]
On April 26, a police officer and a foreigner were involved in a scuffle inDasmariñas Village,Makati after the officer attempted to arrest the foreigner for allegedly violating the quarantine rules. Spanish expatriate Javier Parra claimed that Senior Master Sergeant Roland Von Madrona wanted to fine him for allowing his housemaid to water plants outside without wearing a face mask—a supposed violation of ECQ guidelines. Madrona and Parra had a heated argument, with Madrona later tackling Parra to the ground in an attempt to arrest him. The incident was filmed by Parra's wife, while Parra eventually escaped into his house (he later revealed he had a pre-existing spinal injury). The police denied Parra's accusations, with a separate video showing Madrona attempting to speak calmly with Parra, who yelled expletives and ordered the police to leave. Madrona's superior also denied that the officer attempted to fine Parra's housemaid, but rather he was going to issue her a ticket violation.[25][26] The following day, General Gamboa ordered theNational Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to investigate the incident.[26][27] Reacting to the aforementioned incident, Gamboa defended the actions of PSMS Madrona, saying: "You saw how big the foreigner is compared to the policeman … based on the video, it is very clear that enough force was applied."[a][28][29] Gamboa later visited Madrona in Makati to personally thank him: "We're behind you. You showed the Filipino people that policemen are not partial; we are impartial. [We're here] to show them that what Madrona did was right, and I hope this message gets across to everybody."[b][30]
On May 1, Gamboa announced that the PNP is open to investigations regarding alleged human rights violations committed by officers enforcing the ECQ.[31]
On May 12, photos of NCRPO chiefDebold Sinas celebrating his birthday on May 8 went viral and drew flak online for allegedly violating the ECQ ban on mass gatherings and liquor. The photos were uploaded by the NCRPO's officialFacebook account and were later removed.[32][33][34] Gamboa defended Sinas, saying: "No party took place", explaining that it was amañanita (early morning birthday serenade) which is a tradition among PNP officials. Gamboa also added: "General Sinas said they observed social distancing. I don't think there's any violation here."[c][33][34] Gamboa was then accused of double standards in punishing ECQ violators.[34] On May 14, Gamboa announced that the PNP Internal Affairs Service (PNP-IAS) will investigate Sinas and his guests.[35] The next day, Sinas and 18 other officers were charged with violating the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act.[36] However, on May 18, Gamboa announced that Sinas will not be dismissed or suspended, describing him as "hard to replace". Gamboa explained his decision: "I hope the public would understand because we're in an emergency situation", citing that Sinas is in charge of several COVID-related programs.[d][37][38][39] On May 20, President Duterte also announced that Sinas will not be dismissed or transferred.[40]
Gamboa received more than 100 medals and citations throughout his military and law enforcement career,[5] including:
Military Merit Medal
Military Commendation Medal
Medalya ng Katangitanging Gawa (PNP Outstanding Achievement Medal)
Medalya ng Katapatan sa Paglilingkod (PNP Distinguished Service Medal)| Philippine Constabulary (1901–1975) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Bureau of Constabulary (1942–1945) | ||
| Philippine Constabulary (1945-1975) | ||
| Philippine Constabulary Concurrently as Directors-General of theIntegrated National Police (1975–1991) | ||
| Philippine National Police (1991–present) | ||
‡ — Acting chief | ||