Guillermo Eleazar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Eleazar in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 24thChief of the Philippine National Police | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office May 8, 2021 – November 13, 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Rodrigo Duterte | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | PGen.Debold M. Sinas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | PGen.Dionardo B. Carlos | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Guillermo Lorenzo Tolentino Eleazar (1965-11-13)November 13, 1965 (age 60) Tagkawayan, Quezon, Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Reporma[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Philippine Military Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Police career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | Philippine National Police | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance |  Philippines | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Divisions |
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| Service years | 1987–2021 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank |  Police General | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Guillermo Lorenzo Tolentino Eleazar (Tagalog pronunciation:[ʔɛljaˈzaɾ]; born November 13, 1965) is a Filipino retired police officer andgeneral who served asChief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from May to November 2021. He was also the Deputy Chief of Administration in PNP.
Graduatingcum laude from thePhilippine Military Academy, Eleazar joined the Philippine National Police in 1987. In July 2016, he became the Director of theQuezon City Police District. In May 2018, he became the chief of theNational Capital Region Police Office. The next year, he was promoted tothree-star general. He was also the leader of protection from COVID-19 from March to November 2020.
On May 5, 2021, Eleazar became the Chief of the Philippine National Police. Eleazar added policies related to COVID-19 and other issues. His tenure was relatively supported by government officials and multiple senators. He was succeeded on November 13, 2021, retiring shortly after.
After his tenure as chief, Eleazar ran for a position in the Senate in the2022 Philippine general election with thePartido para sa Demokratikong Reporma party, as part of theLacson-Sotto senatorial slate. He received endorsements from aprofessional association of security guards and private investigators and from the ChristianIglesia ni Cristo community. He lost, gaining 16th place with 11,194,886 votes.
Guillermo Eleazar was born inTagkawayan,Quezon, on November 13, 1965. His father, Victor Eleazar, was a war veteran. He went to thePhilippine Christian University, earning a master's degree in public administration.[2] In 1987, he graduated from thePhilippine Military Academy (PMA).[3] He was among the top four in the Hinirang Class of 1987 in the PMA, graduatingcum laude.[4] The academy later bestowed on Eleazar the Cavalier Award, which is given to alumni the institution sees as demonstrating excellence.[5]
He is called "Guillor" or "Gemo" by his friends. With his wife Lally Hernandez, he has four children.[2]
By 2000, Eleazar was Chief Inspector at the Police Regional Office 4 (PRO-4). That year, he received an award for Junior Police Commissioned Officer of the Year from thePhilippine National Police (PNP).[6] During his tenure, Eleazar helped bust the biggest cybersex gang inCentral Luzon.[7] In 2018, he became theQuezon City Police District director[3] after a recommendation byDILG SecretaryEduardo Año. His promotion was supported by theCivil Service Commission and theNational Police Commission.[8]
On June 1, 2018, he became the Regional Director of theNational Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) after a shuffle in positions;[9] he stayed in this role until the following June. During his time in the role, the NCRPO arrested 293 drug suspects, a 369.6% increase from June 2016.[10] In November 2018, Eleazar threatened to sue over the spread of a viral photo containing a picture of him with a Chinese official.[11]
On March 6, 2019, Eleazar shamed a police officer for extortion in front of the media. The same day, he was filmed violently lashing out, slapping, and cursing atCorporal Marlon Quibete, an office with the Eastern Police District's drug enforcement unit, who had also been arrested for extortion.[12] The videos of the latter incident went viral, and Eleazar's actions received popular acclaim. Conversely, the outburst was condemned by theCommission on Human Rights as a deprivation of the right to humane treatment and presumption of innocence;[13] the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption countered the concerned parties by defending Eleazar, reasoning of the rising number of police corruption cases.[14] Eleazar justified his actions, given reputational damage to the police from previous incidents.[15] His public shaming was backed by politicians and officials, includingPanfilo Lacson,Eduardo Año,Sherwin Gatchalian,Oscar Albayalde,[16] and the then-sitting presidentRodrigo Duterte.[17] Following the incident, Eleazar fired two chiefs for the same reason.[18]
In December 2019, Eleazar was promoted tothree-star general.[19] From September 2020 to May 2021, he was the Deputy Chief of Administration in PNP. He was also the Commander of the Joint Task Force against theCOVID-19 virus from March to November 2020.[2] He served as Deputy Chief for Administration of the PNP just before his appointment as Chief.[20]
On May 5, 2021, Eduardo Año announced Eleazar's designation as the next Chief of the Philippine National Police[2] after the acceptance of Rodrigo Duterte.[21][22] The appointment named him the sixth chief under theDuterte administration.[23]
His appointment was praised by figures in the government.[24] Senate PresidentTito Sotto said that his administration would be the "best choice ever".[25][26] SenatorWin Gatchalian expressed that Eleazar's administration is "no-nonsense" and "action-oriented".[24] He also gained support from the outgoing chief,Debold Sinas, who pledged "100-percent support" to him.[27] Eleazar supported the removal of corruption in PNP.[28] He opposedhazing in thePhilippine National Police Academy after an incident caused the death of a cadet.[29] On June 1, 2021, he berated a police master sergeant for killing a 52-year-old woman. Eleazar was filmed lashing out and violently slamming the master sergeant on a wall while angrily admonishing him.[30]
During his time as chief, Eleazar encouraged the police to enforce strict border monitoring,[31] and ordered police to use social media to promote COVID-19 vaccines to the populace.[32] He instituted a large educational program to teach police officers how to use their cameras.[33] He was succeeded by a Quezonian,Dionardo Carlos, as PNP Chief on November 13, 2021.[34] He retired following his administration.[35][36]
In July 2021, YouTube channel "PH Breaking News" posted a video on the platform in which Eleazar appeared to dismiss candidates which supportedNew People's Army (NPA) rebels, gaining a total of 20,324 views. News websiteRappler fact-checked the video, deeming it to be a fabrication.[37] The following November, Filipino politicianTeodoro Locsin Jr. encouraged Eleazar to run for senator, stating "I won't wish you luck, Gen. Eleazar; the victory of a man of your quality shouldn't be left to luck. I wish our country luck that you win."[38] SenatorPanfilo Lacson also encouraged him to run.[39] The following month, Eleazar encouraged policemen to not engage in politics.[40] After his statement, he announced he would not run,[41] but changed his decision after receiving further encouragement by politicians.[42] He announced his bid on November 14 and officially filed his candidacy the next day, the last day of filing.[43]
Eleazar ran in the2022 Philippine Senate elections as aReporma candidate under theLacson-Sotto senatorial ticket. His candidacy replaced that of radio commentator and PWD advocate Paolo Capino, which was withdrawn on November 12.[44] His platform focused on improving order in the Philippines,[45] stopping corruption, and expanding PNP services.[3]
On February 11, 2022,Mike Velarde ofEl Shaddai gave his blessing to Eleazar's campaign.[46] The following month, Eleazar was endorsed by the Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agencies Operators (PADPAO), aprofessional association of security guards and private investigators,[47] and by theIglesia ni Cristo community.[48][5] He lost, gaining 16th place with 11,194,886 votes, accounting 20.28% of the votes.[49]
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by PGENDebold Sinas | Chief of the Philippine National Police May 7 until November 12, 2021 | Succeeded by PGENDionardo Carlos |
| Philippine Constabulary (1901–1942) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| 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) | ||
‡ — | ||