Police Lieutenant General
CESAR HAWTHORNE R. BINAG (Ret)

LAST POST HELD: The Deputy Chief, PNP for Operations (TDCO), Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield Commander

SYNOPSIS

Police Lieutenant General (PLTGEN) Cesar Hawthorne Rivera Binag (Ret) is a certified Civil Service Executive Eligible (CSEE) and an international civil servant. His 37 years of public service reveals a crossbreed of an intellectual, a manager, a diplomat, and a warrior.

As Commander and Executive, PLTGEN Binag has championed reform and exemplified leadership performance in the fields of Military and Law Enforcement, Public Policy, Strategy Development, Management, Change Management, Crisis Management, Reform and Advocacy, Information and Communications Technology, and Digital Transformation.

AWARDS

He is a recipient of various local and international awards, combat and service medals, including a Gold Cross Medal for Gallantry in Action, United Nations Mission in Liberia Outstanding Leadership Awards, Outstanding Achievement Medals, and numerous letters of commendation for his excellent military, police and civic accomplishments.

KEY POSTS

As the current Deputy Chief, PNP for Operations, and the No. 3 man in the organization, PLTGEN Binag leads the PNP Oversight Committee on Illegal Drugs, Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield, Senior Officer Placement and Promotion Board (SOPPB) 'B', Counter-Terrorism Task Force Oversight Committee (CTTF-OC), PNP Committee on Legal Action (COLA), PNP Anti-Trafficking in Person Task-Group (ATTG), PNP Critical Incident Management Committee, PNP National ISO Validation Committee, Philippine-Indonesian Joint Summit (PHILINDO), Joint Anti-Bank Robbery and Cybercrime Coordinating Committee (JABRACC), and PNP Integrated Area Security Coordinating Committee (IASCC).

As the former Chief of Directorial Staff of the PNP, and No. 4 man in the hierarchy, he has chaired numerous key committees and groups. Among these - the Internal Cleansing Committee which oversees the implementation of the PNP Revitalized Internal Cleansing Program; the Study Group on the New Normal that crafted the PNP General Guidelines on the New Normal and the Expanded Study Group on the New Normal that crafted the Harmonized PNP Strategic Plans aimed at "Securing the Community in the New Normal, the Digital Age, and Beyond" as the PNP's contribution to the government's We Recover As One Plan that seeks to usher the country's recovery from the onslaught of the pandemic. For his leadership in this major change management project, PLTGEN Binag was given a special award by then Chief, PNP Gen. Archie Gamboa.

ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS

He brings home to the PNP the learning from various scholarships with top institutions, among these:

• the Asian Institute of Management, Masters in Development Management
• the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University - Masters in Public Administration and Edward S. Mason Program in Public Policy and Management

INTERNATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

He has also brought honour home to our country after serving with distinction in various international assignments, including:

• Deputy and Acting Police Commissioner, United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL)
• Acting District Commander, United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC)

With a sterling reputation for integrity, PLTGEN Binag has been called to be a part of various fact-finding bodies. The most publicized of this was the Board of Inquiry, Operational Audit Team which investigated the infamous Mamasapano Incident. As Chief of Staff, Program Management Office (PMO), he conceptualized and oversaw the Integrated Transformation Program which introduced the Performance Governance System (PGS) in the PNP. From his formative years in the Philippine Military Academy, PLTGEN Binag has been a model to his peers and was Chair of the Honor Code Committee that investigated the notorious PMA exams scandal.

He values his calling as a shaper of men and was Commandant of Cadets at the Philippine National Police Academy. During that time, he was concurrently Chairman of the Christian Officers Reform the Police Service (CORPS) Movement that promotes a God-centered, service-oriented and family-based culture within the PNP. Among its programs that are today being implemented in stations and precincts nationwide are the Bless Our Cops (BOC) and My Brothers' Keeper (MBK) programs.

He has been invited to tell his story and experiences as a peacekeeper at various forums including the Christian Broadcasting Network’s The 700 Club and Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP).

Other key positions he held here and abroad:

• Director, Directorate for ICT Management (DICTM) - the unit that facilitated the crafting of the PNP Digital Transformation Plan, also known as PNP S.M.A.R.T. Policing
• Regional Director, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO6)
• Chief, Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO) – instituting system reforms that dramatically brought down extortion and bribery in the corruption-ridden unit
• Chief, Law Enforcement Division, Directorate for Operations (DO)
• Senior Executive Assistant to the Chief, PNP
• Chief, Motor Vehicle Clearance Office (MVCO), Highway Patrol Group (HPG)
• Chief, Public Information Office (PIO), National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO)
• Station Commander of Kamuning Police Station, Quezon City Police District (QCPD)
• Company Commander, 2nd Special Action Company, an elite counterterrorist company of the then PC Special Action Force (PC-SAF)

PEDIGREE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

The son of a retired Philippine Army NCO, Master Sergeant Manuel B. Binag, and a school teacher, Cecilla R. Binag, then PLTGEN Binag was a product of primary and secondary public school system, prior to qualifying for the Philippine Military Academy. He belongs to the “Hinirang” Class of 1987.

He has been a recipient of scholarship grants on international studies on policing, peace and security, national development and crisis management in prestigious institutions and programs such as:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), International Law Enforcement Academy
• Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATAP), US Department of State all in the USA
• UK College of Policing and University of Leicester, UK
• Political Warfare Bureau, Republic of China
• National Police Agency of Japan

SOCIO-CIVIC ADVOCACY

Off the police beat, PLTGEN Binag was past president of the Table Tennis Association of the Philippines (TATAP). He was also Past Member of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and Chef de Mission (Head of Mission) of Philippine Delegation, 2009 Asian Youth Games (1 Silver and 1 Bronze Medal).

He made history by swimming across the treacherous Iloilo-Guimaras strait to raise awareness on the effects of climate change, to promote the tourism industry of Guimaras and Iloilo, and to raise funds for Western Visayas police personnel who were killed or wounded in action.

FAMILY LIFE

He is married to Dr. Ma. Agnes Binag and blessed with four sons: Zark, Cesar Hawthorne Jr., (PMA Class 2017), Czar Robert and Paul. His solid career started in the Philippine Military Academy, but the foundation is anchored on his strong family background and on the life and teachings of Christ Jesus our Lord.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!