Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Wednesday defended his directive urging police to intensify arrests across the country, insisting the policy aims to remove criminals from communities, not boost statistics.
In a Palace briefing, Torre clarified that the directive, often interpreted as a “paramihan ng huli” (arrest-as-many-as-you-can) order, is not limited to anti-drug operations but covers all forms of criminality.
“This is about protecting communities. The only way to make neighborhoods peaceful is to remove criminals from the streets… Snatchers, troublemakers, drug dealers, our goal is to arrest them and bring them to court, not to kill them. The emphasis is arrest, not death,” Torre said.
The policy drew scrutiny from journalists and human rights advocates, including the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), who raised the possibility of pressure on officers to make arrests for numbers’ sake, possibly leading to abuses, including evidence planting and arbitrary detention.
The PNP Chief pushed back against suggestions that police would be incentivized to fabricate cases or meet arrest targets.
“There is no quota… The measure of success is not how many people are arrested, but whether criminal threats in the community are reduced or eliminated,” Torre said.
Responding to concerns about integrity, he said any officer found planting evidence or abusing authority will face severe consequences.
“I cannot promise it will never happen. But if it does, I will dismiss them from service and have them jailed,” Torre said, citing a past case when he detained a lieutenant colonel and nine officers involved in a staged drug operation.
“They are still in custody today, cleaning their detention area daily,” he added.
He encouraged the public to report abusive officers through formal channels, including the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS), the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Human Rights, or the media.
CHR officials have warned that similar programs in the past have led to abuse, particularly during the Duterte administration’s controversial drug war. Torre promised transparency and full cooperation with the CHR in any investigation related to illegal arrests or human rights violations.
“Unlike before, those arrested now are alive, and they have access to lawyers through the Public Attorney’s Office. Their rights will be respected,” Torre said.
“The police are here to work. If citizens ask for help because criminals are disturbing their neighborhoods, we will respond… But let me be clear: criminals will be arrested based on evidence and due process—not to boost numbers,” he concluded.
