President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed retired Maj. Gen. Isagani Nerez as the new chief of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the lead agency in the government’s anti-narcotics campaign.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin swore in Nerez at Malacanang Palace on Tuesday. Nerez replaces retired police general Moro Virgilio Lazo, who had led the agency since October 2022.

A native of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Nerez is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Maharlika Class of 1984. In 2022, Marcos appointed him Undersecretary for Police Affairs at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs.

Nerez has held key positions in various units of the Philippine National Police (PNP), including the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response (PACER), Directorate for Integrated Police Operations, Eastern Mindanao.

He joined the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), and the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group.

He also served as the chief of the Baguio City Police Office and later as Chief Superintendent of the Cordillera Police Regional Office. Presidential News Desk