Sara Duterte laughs off Torre’s appointment as PNP chief

Vice President Sara Duterte in file photo. (Photo by Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte could only laugh when she was asked to react to the appointment of Police Major General Nicolas Torre III as the next Philippine National Police (PNP) chief.

Torre will lead the 232,000-strong PNP, replacing Gen. Rommel Marbil who will retire on June 7.

“That’s my reaction,” Duterte, laughing, told reporters in an interview on Saturday in The Hague, Netherlands.

“Next question,” Duterte added.

READ: Nicolas Torre III, who led Rodrigo Duterte arrest, is new PNP chief

When further pressed for her reaction, she laughed again and said: “That’s it.”

The vice president is currently in The Netherlands to celebrate her birthday with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Torre, who is currently the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director, was the ground commander of the police team that served the International Criminal Police Organization warrant to arrest the former president last March.

The older Duterte is currently detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague for crimes against humanity allegedly committed during his administration’s bloody drug war campaign.

READ: Torre earned PNP post on merit, not on Duterte arrest — Marbil

Meanwhile, Marbil previously said that Torre was selected as the next top cop for his leadership, and not as a reward for arresting the former president.

Marbil also maintained that the arrest followed the PNP’s commitment to the Philippine Center for Transnational Crime (PCTC).

“The person had a warrant. So, we have to help the PCTC to serve the warrant. If we’re bashed for it, it’s just part of the job,” Marbil said in an interview on Friday./mr