Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Nicolas Torre —File photo/Lyn Rillon
MANILA, Philippines — Newly appointed Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said on Wednesday that there will be no quota imposed on police officers for arrests made under his anticrime directive.
Human rights groups have raised concerns over Torre’s remarks made on Monday that drug-related arrests would be part of the performance metrics for police officers. They warned that his order would lead to police abuses and human rights violations.
“There is no quota,” Torre said in Filipino at a press briefing in Malacañang. “Our measure is the reduction and elimination of the threat in our community; we will get rid of criminals,” he added.
Torre said police officers must still justify arrests and ensure that they followed the process. He warned those who would attempt to fabricate evidence face dismissal or even jail time for “incriminatory machinations.”
“We will not condone wanton killings or wanton murders. We will liaise with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and make them partners to deal with abusive policemen. We will very, very much welcome the investigation … by the CHR,” he said.
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Torre said upon assuming office as PNP chief on Monday that one of his antidrug strategies was to count the number of arrests made by police officers as “part of our (performance) metrics.”
But he stressed that the arrests should be “within the ambit of the law.”
Wrongful arrests, abuse
“If you really are a good police officer, you will not allow a criminal to go scot-free. And there’s only one way of doing that. Arrest them and bring them to court.”
The Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (Pahra), however, said “framing arrests as a numbers game through the ‘paramihan ng aresto’ system” was “deeply concerning.” It warned that this could lead to wrongful arrests, abuse of power, and systemic violations of rights targeting already marginalized communities.
“When success is measured by the number of arrests rather than the quality and integrity of police work, it encourages shortcuts and pressure to deliver results at the expense of due process,” Pahra said in a statement.
“A quantity-over-quality mindset puts both public trust and human dignity at risk, and undermines the credibility of our justice system,” it added.
It reminded the PNP that meaningful law enforcement cannot be reduced to tallied arrests. “Safety and justice must be pursued without sacrificing accountability and human dignity. Reforms should focus on community-based policing and systems that reward integrity, not inflated figures,” it said.
Rights-based guidelines
The CHR on Tuesday said it welcomes Torre’s directive and “recognize[s] the intent to protect communities and enhance public safety.”
“[But] the Commission reminds authorities that highlighting number of arrests as a performance metric may unintentionally pressure officers to prioritize quantity over quality,” it said.
“Historically, such frameworks have risked incentivizing shortcuts, abusive, or arbitrary practices, which undermine human rights and erode public trust in law enforcement,” it added.
It said effective policing is best measured by the quality of investigations, respect for due process, and the consistent upholding of legal and ethical standards.
“We encourage the PNP leadership to issue clear, rights-based guidelines for performance evaluation, ensuring that any operational targets do not compromise civil liberties or lead to discrimination, especially against vulnerable sectors who are prone to abuse due to lack of access to remedies,” it said.
Different from Duterte drug war
Torre has also distinguished his order to make more arrests from the “reward system” allegedly perpetrated during the drug war under former President Rodrigo Duterte.
“The quota being discussed there is not arrests. What the House quad committee investigation revealed, those were not arrests. It’s not like that,” he said in a chance interview with reporters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
“This is something in which, if there’s an investigation, I will not invoke my right to remain silent. I will also not invoke my right against self-incrimination because we’re not hiding anything here,” he stressed.
“And we won’t have anything to hide. If we arrest people, people are alive,” he pointed out.
In October last year, retired Police Col. Royina Garma testified before the House quad committee that Duterte supposedly ordered the enforcement of a system that paid officers for every drug suspect killed.
Duterte is now detained in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the Netherlands, to face allegations of crimes against humanity for his administration’s drug war.
The war on illegal drugs reportedly killed an estimated 12,000 to 30,000 people.
Torre, then as the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group director, led the police team that enforced the arrest warrant against Duterte in March. —with reports from Frances Mangosing and Jason Sigales