Call to Rescind Drug Arrests Performance Metric
Detainee rights advocates have urged the new Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr., to immediately rescind the policy that includes drug-related arrests as part of the performance metrics for police officers. This four-word keyphrase, “drug arrests as performance metric,” has sparked criticism for encouraging counterproductive policing tactics.
Fides Lim, spokesperson for the advocacy group Kapatid, issued the appeal shortly after the government announced the relief of former PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre. Local leaders noted that the policy on drug arrests has worsened issues such as impunity and overcrowded jails without effectively reducing crime.
Concerns Over Police Practices and Rights Violations
Lim emphasized that the continuation of quota-based arrests promotes unlawful practices, including the planting of firearms and fabrication of charges against activists. “We also call on the new PNP leadership to end the well-worn script of planting firearms and fabricating charges to jail activists and start living up to the human rights principles the institution claims to observe,” she said.
Community members expressed hope that the new leadership under Lt. Gen. Nartatez will prioritize human rights and justice over numerical targets in policing.
Background on Leadership Changes in the PNP
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla explained that the replacement of Gen. Torre followed a directive from the National Police Commission regarding Torre’s reassignment of 13 senior officers. Among these was Lt. Gen. Nartatez, who had been appointed as commander of the Area Police Command (APC) Western Mindanao after serving as the PNP’s deputy chief for administration.
Remulla clarified that Nartatez was not charged with any criminal or administrative violations. Instead, the change reflects the President’s decision to steer the PNP in a new direction.
Looking Ahead: Reforming Police Performance Metrics
Observers and human rights advocates stress the importance of eliminating quota systems like drug arrests as performance metric, which incentivize questionable policing and disregard for due process. They call on the PNP leadership to adopt reforms that respect human rights and focus on genuine crime reduction.
As the new officer-in-charge takes the helm, many await concrete steps toward ending impunity and ensuring that law enforcement aligns with democratic principles.
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