President Marcos has appointed former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. as executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). Acorda will replace Undersecretary Gilbert Cruz. Malacañang made the announcement on Wednesday, Oct. 15. Acorda served as the PNP chief from April 2023 to March 2024. A member of the Philippine Military Academy Sambisig Class of 1991, Acorda served as director of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence before he was appointed as PNP chief. 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. It can be recalled that the PAOCC has led the crackdown on Philippine offshore gambling operations (POGO) due to the spate of human trafficking and other criminal activities. Marcos ordered the total ban of POGO last year during his third State of the Nation Address (SONA).