President Ferdinand Marcos on Thursday recognized the reforms and achievements of the country’s police force, stressing it has made their operations “as humane, as truthful, and as bloodless as possible.”

Marcos attended as guest of honor and keynote speaker of the celebration. He also led the presentation of awards to outstanding PNP units and personnel.

Marcos commended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil.

“I salute all of the officers and personnel of the PNP, under the current leadership of Police General Rommel Marbil.,” the President said in his speech during the 123rd Police Service Anniversary at the PNP National Headquarters in Quezon City.

“His (Marbil) tenure over the past months has been filled with noteworthy reforms and achievements that we can proudly present to the Filipino public,” he added.

According to Marcos, the PNP has taken aggressive steps towards sustaining the gains on peace and order.

These included its intensified patrol operations and increased police deployment, which contributed to the decrease in crime rates, particularly in crime-prone areas.

Under the leadership of Marbil, the PNP was able to respond to 99 percent of the call for police assistance, the President said.

Marcos also highlighted the operationalized PNP Cybersecurity Operations Center to intensify cyber-patrolling and ensure the police can handle the complexities of cybercrimes.

Efforts to quell illicit drugs, and other criminalities have also improved under Marbil’s leadership, he said.

According to PNP, a total of 16,634 illegal drug operations were conducted from April 1 to July 31 this year. This resulted in the neutralization of 20,286 personalities and the seizure of over PhP13.72 billion worth of illegal drugs.

“Our crackdown on illegal drugs, smuggling, illegal gambling, private armed groups, human trafficking, and criminality has also strengthened significantly in ways that are not only effective but legal and lawful,” Marcos said.

“Indeed, police operations are now conducted as humane, as truthful, and as bloodless as possible,” he said.

The PNP also conducted joint operations with the Armed Forces on Internal Security that led to the neutralization of 1,951 members of local and communist terrorist groups.

“These achievements were made possible because [of] the PNP’s resolve to uphold the rule of law and the unparalleled dedication and service of our police officers, led, of course, by our Chief PNP General Marbil,” Marcos said. Presidential News Desk