President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Philippine National Police chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. as executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).

Acorda will replace PAOCC Executive Director Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz, Malacanang announced on Wednesday.

Marcos appointed Acorda as PNP chief from April 2023 to March 2024.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1991, Acorda served as director of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence before he was appointed as PNP chief.

Cruz, a former Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) chief, was appointed as PAOCC Undersecretary in January 2023.

Created under Executive Order No. 295 in 2000, the PAOCC was tasked to adopt measures to ensure an effective and efficient anti-crime drive and to identify and prosecute criminal groups and their protectors in government through efficient intelligence and counterintelligence efforts.

In line with Marcos’ directive for a nationwide ban, the PAOCC under Cruz led the crackdown on Philippine offshore gambling operations (POGO) due to the spate of human trafficking and other criminal activities. Presidential News Desk