President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed retired Maj. Gen. Isagani Nerez as the new head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin swore in Nerez in Malacañang on Tuesday, replacing retired police general Moro Virgilio Lazo, who led the agency since October 2022.
A native of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte, Nerez is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Maharlika Class of 1984. In 2022, Marcos Jr. appointed him Undersecretary for Police Affairs at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs.
Nerez is a lawyer and experienced law enforcement officer. He has held key roles in the Philippine National Police, including in the Police Anti-Crime Emergency Response, the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations in Eastern Mindanao, and the PNP Special Action Force.
He also served with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force and the Anti-Kidnapping Group, and was Chief of the Baguio City Police Office and later Chief Superintendent of the Cordillera Police Regional Office.IMT
