PNP installs new spox, PIO chief

Police Colonel Ysmael Salonga, the newly installed  Spokesperson of the Philippine National Police and Acting Chief of Public Information Office. (Photo credit: PNP PIO)

CALOOCAN CITY, Sept. 12 (PIA) --The Philippine National Police on Friday, formally installed Police Colonel Ysmael Salonga Yu as Spokesperson of the Philippine National Police and Acting Chief of Public Information Office.

Yu, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Tanglaw Diwa Class of 1992, replaced Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac who was reassigned as Director of the PNP Training Service director.

As Chief, PIO and Spokesperson, Yu serves the dual function as the “mouthpiece” and “publicist” of the PNP Leadership to effectively communicate PNP programs, policies and plans to the public.

Before his reassignment to the National Headquarters, Yu was Deputy Regional Director for Operations of Police Regional Office-1 in the Ilocos-Pangasinan Region in La Union since October 2019.

Yu obtained his Master in Public Management degree from the Development Academy of the Philippines in 2017. He also underwent various trainings and programs such as counter-terrorism management course, criminal undercover operation course, police intelligence advance course, finance officer basic course, supervisory development course, Special Forces operations course, and others.

The new PNP Spokesperson was erstwhile Chief of Special Service Unit of Headquarters Support Service in Camp Crame and Chief of Finance Service Office 1 and 3 in 2017.

In 2012, he was a Company commander of Bulacan Mobile Force Battalion Company. He also served as senior executive assistant at the Office of the Deputy Chief for Operations in 2019.

Based on existing PNP policy, the spokesperson is the official mouthpiece and publicist of the PNP on public information matters involving internal security and general peace and order and accomplishments of the PNP.

The PNP Spokesperson is a Personal Staff Officer of the Chief PNP, and holds the concurrent capacity as Chief of the Public Information Office, the lead implementor of the PNP Media Relations Policy at the National Headquarters level. (PNP-PIO)

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)