PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday swore in former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Benjamin Acorda Jr. as undersecretary of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC). Acorda, who headed the PNP from April 2023 to March 2024, replaced another retired police general, Gilbert Cruz. The Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said Cruz will be given another government post. Details of Cruz’s new assignment have yet to be disclosed. A 1991 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Acorda held other key positions in the PNP, including Director of Intelligence from August 2022 to April 2023, and Regional Director for the Police Regional Office X (Northern Mindanao) from November 2021 to August 2022. He was also the first chief of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group and was also Deputy Regional Director for the National Capital Region Police Office, Director of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, Chief of Staff of the Civil Security Group, and Chief of the Anti-Fraud and Commercial Crimes Division. Established in 2000, the PAOCC is directly under the Office of the President and is mandated to investigate and prosecute criminal syndicates and corrupt officials. The PAOCC was among the agencies who conducted a nationwide crackdown on Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) involved in human trafficking and other criminal activities.