The Philippine National Police (PNP) is moving to tighten its collaboration with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to ensure law enforcement activities remain within legal and ethical standards.
PNP spokesperson Police Brigadier General Jean Fajardo confirmed on Sunday that PNP Chief Police Major General Nicolas Torre III plans to personally visit the CHR to address concerns regarding his recent remarks on arrest quotas.
“There used to be a perception that the PNP and CHR don’t see eye to eye because the CHR monitors how we fulfill our duty to protect human rights,” Fajardo told Super Radyo dzBB.
Fajardo explained that Torre’s statement about factoring in arrest records for police promotions was misinterpreted, prompting the need for clarification. The CHR earlier pointed out that performance should not be based on the volume of arrests but on how lawfully those arrests were made.
In response, the PNP emphasized that any arrest carried out must have legal grounding and due process. Fajardo further said the CHR is welcome to directly observe police operations—including arrests and patrols—to provide feedback or recommend improvements.
“If they want to observe how police officers make arrests or monitor the streets, they are welcome, so they can see for themselves what needs to be improved or corrected,” she said.
She added that this level of transparency is being encouraged not just in Metro Manila but in other regions as well.
A potential memorandum of understanding between the PNP and CHR is also being considered to institutionalize their cooperation and safeguard human rights across all police operations.
