President Marcos Jr. yesterday called on the PNP to sustain initiatives that would increase public confidence in the police force, urging them to be “humane, truthful, and bloodless.”
During the 123rd Police Service Anniversary at Camp Crame, the President recognized the achievements and hard work of the PNP and saluted them for taking aggressive steps toward sustaining the gains of peace and order and a successful campaign against criminality.
“So, as we commemorate your anniversary, we commend your sacrifices, hard work, and genuine service to the country. Remember that your tasks, regardless of magnitude or gravity, leave an impact on the lives of our people,” Marcos said.
“I also urge all police personnel to support the leadership of the PNP. I trust that you will sustain your current initiatives and take care of the people’s increasing confidence in the PNP’s abilities,” he added.
Marcos said over the past year, the PNP has intensified its patrol operations, increased police deployment and responded to 99 percent of calls for police assistance which resulted in a drop in crime rates.
He said that last May 30, the PNP Cybersecurity Operations Center was operationalized to intensify cyber-patrolling and enhance police cybersecurity capabilities to ensure the police can handle the complexities of cybercrimes.
The PNP also conducted joint operations with the [Armed Forces] on Internal Security that led to the neutralization of close to 2,000 or 1,951 members of local and communist terrorist groups.
“Our crackdown on illegal drugs, smuggling, illegal gambling, private armed groups, human trafficking, and criminality has also strengthened significantly in ways that are not only effective but legal and lawful. Indeed, police operations are now conducted as humane, as truthful, and as bloodless as possible,” the President said.
In his State of the Nation address last month, Marcos touted the PNP’s “bloodless war on dangerous drugs” that resulted in more than 71,500 operations that yielded more than P44 billion worth of seized illegal drugs and the arrest of more than 97,000 drug personalities.
The President also said then that of those arrested, more than 6,000 were high-value targets while 440 were government employees which included 42 uniformed personnel and 77 elected officials.
Marcos also emphasized that “extermination” was never part of his administration’s campaign.
In yesterday’s rites, Marcos acknowledged the neutralization of 20,286 drug personalities and the seizure of over P13.72 billion worth of illegal drugs in 16,634 illegal drug operations from April 1 to July 31 this year.
He also led the awarding of various personnel and units who have shown exemplary performance in the line of duty.
The President also inspected the newly-acquired PNP assets such as 20 units of personnel carriers, 299 units of light motorcycles, 193 units of light transport vehicles, 75 units of patrol jeep single cab and 155 units of light machine guns.
REPORT CARD
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said P36.5 billion worth of illegal drugs have been seized in the continuing war against illegal drugs under the Marcos administration.
“Our anti-illegal drugs campaign has made remarkable strides with the value of drugs seized increasing to approximately P36.5 billion between July 1, 2002 to July 31, 2024,” said Marbil.
He said the seized illegal drugs included 1.4 tons of shabu worth PP9.68 billion seized in Alitagtag town in Batangas last April, the largest drug haul in the country’s history.
Marbil said the PNP’s “holistic approach” to addressing the country’s drug problem includes law enforcement, prevention, rehabilitation and community engagement.
“Our battle against drug abuse transcends mere law enforcement. It fundamentally aims to uphold the very fabric of our society as we pursue our anti-illegal drug campaign targeting high-value individuals and identifying drug sources,” said Marbil.
“We remain dedicated to preserving human life. Our efforts ensure the well-being and dignity of every member of the community,” he added.
Marbil also said the decrease in crime volume over the past year was due to programs undertaken by the PNP.
“The impact of these initiatives is evident in the reduction of overall crime volume by 14,666 from July 2023 to June 2024,” said Marbil, adding there was a “significant decrease” in the number of rapes, carnapping, and robbery incidents.
Marbil said there was also a 21.09 percent reduction in cybercrime incidents during the period, noting the enhanced efforts to protect people against digital threats.
He said the PNP has “efficiently and promptly delivered frontline services” to the community.
He pointed to the 85/15 deployment scheme, ensuring that 85 percent of the total PNP personnel are doing field duties while the remaining 15 percent handle administrative work. — With Victor Reyes
