Mar to critics: Don't give color to PNP revamp

MANILA, Philippines — Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas II on Friday said the reforms being implemented within the ranks of the Philippine National Police (PNP) should not be given any color.

Roxas said that the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has been implementing Oplan Lambat for four months or 16 weeks now.

He said that the NCRPO and the entire police directorate is meeting every week to analyze, study and respond to crime incidents in Quezon City, Southern, Manila, Eastern and Northern Police Districts.

"Even though we are saying that the crime situation in Metro Manila [has] stabilized, in the eyes of our countrymen, it is still not enough, because they are all expecting big changes, that even ordinary citizens can feel it," he added.

Roxas said that in the four months that the NCRPO has been implementing its "intensified" anti-crime campaign, it has not been remiss in its duty to explain what it expects from ranking police up to the highest official in terms of implementation.

He said this is the reason for the regular briefing of the entire police directorate.

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"In fact, 14 station commanders from the 38 police stations in the NCR have been relieved. I hope this sends a clear message that we are serious in our campaign against criminality," he said.

Roxas said that before they started implementing the reforms in the PNP, the entire PNP leadership first studied the crime situation in Metro Manila.

"We have given them enough time. We gave them warning. We gave them guidance. In short, we monitored them, so after 16 weeks that there have been no significant changes, we need new energy. New perspective, new leadership is what we need. It is the same for other districts," he said.

Roxas hopes that the new district directors as well as the station commanders will take their new challenges seriously.