The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday called on Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Nicolas Torre III to ensure that the campaign against criminality is conducted within the bounds of the law.
DOJ Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano expressed the agency’s support for Torre’s mission to apprehend criminals, particularly those involved in the illegal drug trade, but cautioned against shortcuts in law enforcement.
“We are definitely supportive of General Torre’s mission and vision to apprehend criminals because we should always be engaged in a war against crime—but it must be done the right way, with proper systems in place,” Clavano said.
The DOJ official warned against the use of arrest quotas, calling the system outdated and harmful.
“We’ve long been saying that the old system where police are given quotas is unacceptable. Secretary [of Justice] Jesus Crispin Remulla is not afraid to call it out because he knows it still happens. But people are not just numbers,” Clavano explained.
He also expressed concern that a quota-based system might lead to a surge in complaints against police personnel.
“To avoid a flood of cases being filed against police officers, we just want to caution authorities against making such statements or implementing such systems without ensuring due process,” he added.
