BUTUAN CITY – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expressed concern over a recent statement by Police Major General Nicolas Torre III, the newly appointed chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Torre had directed that a key metric for evaluating police performance in the PNP’s anti-illegal drug campaign would be the number of arrests made.
The CHR emphasized that arrests should not be measured by quantity but by the proper legal procedures followed. CHR Commissioner Beda Epres voiced alarm over the potential for abuse, pointing out that arrests should only be made when there is legitimate evidence of a crime, not to meet arbitrary arrest quotas.
Torre defended his directive, stating that arrests made under the law are legitimate, and if suspects believe they were unjustly detained, they can seek assistance from relevant government agencies.
However, the CHR argued that relying on numbers as a performance metric could lead to wrongful arrests, particularly affecting marginalized communities who may lack access to legal remedies. The Commission called for a clearer directive from Torre to ensure that police operations adhere to proper procedures, stressing that the current approach risks fostering abuse and undermining justice.
