MANILA — Freshly-installed Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Monday led his first flag-raising ceremony as head of the 230,000-strong police force.

In his remarks, Torre reiterated his directive to police officers to increase arrests related to drugs and criminality—making this a new performance metric for the organization.

He emphasized the role of the police to enforce the law, prevent and control crime, maintain peace and order, and ensure public safety and internal security with the active support of the community.

“Alisin lang ang kriminal sa ating mga communities, alisin ang mga kriminal sa kalsada — ‘yon lang, wala nang iba. Kapag walang kriminal, walang krimen,” Torre told policemen.

(Just remove criminals from our communities, remove them from the streets — that’s it, nothing more. If there are no criminals, there’s no crime.)

Torre said police commanders and those aspiring for promotion will be required by the PNP Directorate for Personnel and Records Management to submit affidavits of arrest as “receipts” or proof of accomplishments.

“Ano ang resibo na ikaw ay nakapanghuli ng kriminal? Ang pinag-uusapan natin ‘yong arrest without warrant ha. Warrantless arrest in accordance to Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Court. Ano ang resibo? Ang resibo ay affidavit of arrest. ‘Yon lang, very simple,” he said.

“So, sa mga rank and file, sa mga patrolman natin, sa corporal and sergeants and sa mga lieutenants natin na nagpapa-promote, isang malaking metrics ang points ng affidavit of arrest. Kung gusto niya mapromote — affidavit of arrest, isa sa mga ipapakita natin, isa sa mga ire-require natin.”

(What’s the receipt that you arrested a criminal? We’re talking about arrests without a warrant—warrantless arrests in accordance with Rule 113 of the Revised Rules of Court. What’s the receipt? The receipt is the affidavit of arrest. That’s it, very simple. So, for the rank-and-file—our patrolmen, corporals, sergeants, and lieutenants seeking promotion—affidavit of arrest will be a major performance metric. If they want to get promoted, the affidavit of arrest is one of the requirements we will ask for.)

Torre on Monday also met with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to explain the directive and to assure that police officers will maintain the highest regard for human rights while doing their duty—and that no one will be killed.

He urged policemen to show compassion to those in distress, respond swiftly, and ensure the resolution of crimes.

He ordered all police stations to accept complaints or reports from the public, even if the concern falls outside their jurisdiction—meaning police should not turn away people or pass them around.

If the station cannot address the issue, Torre said officers must personally escort the complainant to the appropriate police station or government agency and endorse them directly.