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PRESIDENT Arroyo on Monday announced the appointment of
Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. as the
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief effective October
1.
The
President made the announcement at a business forum at
the Maria Cristina Hotel in Iligan City.
“Avelino
‘Sonny’ Razon Jr. will be the chief, [of the] PNP
starting on October 1st,” she said.
Razon,
the National Police deputy chief for administration, the
number two position, will take over the 130,000-strong
force.
Razon
graduated from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in
1974 and took his Masters in Management from the
Philippine Christian University and Masters in Public
Administration from the Manuel Quezon University in
1994.
He is
currently a fourth-year law student at the Jose Rizal
College of Law.
Like
many of the members of PMA Class 1974, Razon was sent to
Mindanao right after graduation. He spent several years
battling Moro separatist rebels on the island.
Razon,
who will turn 55 on September 27, was among the first
officers to be assigned to the elite Philippine
Constabulary Special Action Force (SAF) and was was its
second commander.
He was
among the first to break away from then-President
Ferdinand Marcos in what is now known as the Edsa
Revolution.
Razon
commanded the SAF, then a unit composed of three line
companies, a heavy weapons company and an armor company,
as a major.
When
offered promotion to temporary lieutenant colonel owing
to the size of his command, Razon declined at the advice
of a senior officer. That senior officer, however,
accepted four promotions in the last four years of his
tour of duty.
Razon
also led the Northern Police District Special Operations
Group.
When
former President Fidel Ramos assumed office in 1992,
Razon was assigned to the Presidential Security Command,
becoming its deputy commander before being transferred
to the Manila Police District (MPD), then the Western
Police District, as its commander. He earned his first
star in that posting.
When
Joseph Estrada assumed the presidency, Razon was
relieved from the MPD and given a position in
Camp Crame.
He was later recalled to the MPD.
He
earned his second star as commander of the Central
Visayas Police Office based in Camp Sotero Cabahug in
Cebu City.
He was
later recalled to a staff position in Camp Crame and
later assigned as Metro Manila police commander. He
earned his third star in that post.
After
serving as Metro Manila police commander, Razon was
assigned to Camp Crame.
Despite
his early promotion to chief superintendent, Razon had
to wait this long to be appointed chief of the PNP as
other officers more senior to him by way of graduation
from the PMA were appointed to the position ahead of
him.
When
Razon was already a chief superintendent, former
National Police chief Arturo Lomibao was still a senior
superintendent. When Razon was already a director or
two-star general, Calderon was still a senior
superintendent.
While he
may have been disappointed, he never complained
publicly. |
