Philippine National Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said Thursday he ordered regional directors to solve riding-in-tandem cases following a rising number of incidents involving the shooting of drug suspects.

"We had a command conference the other day. To all of my regional directors my instruction is...if you cannot prevent the crime committed by the riding-in-tandem then you should solve them because if you cannot solve that case the people will doubt again that it is the doing of the police or the police tolerates that because the police want to victim dead", Dela Rosa said in an interview with DZRH.

A village chairman in Cabanatuan City, listed as a high value target in drug watch list of the police, was killed last Wednesday by men riding on two motorcycles, a news report said.

In another incident, a 18 year old boy, a suspected former drug addict, was shot dead Tuesday in Muntinlupa City, reports said..

Dela Rosa said he told police regional directors to take action or he will order their relief.

"I told them, don't wait for me to relieve you if you will say that you are inefficient in solving the case. Do not wait. You have to act right now", he said in a separate interview with dzMM. Alanna Ambi/DMS