Ched Rick Gatchalian

PNP Chief PGen. Nicolas Torre answers questions during an interview inside the ABS-CBN compound in Quezon City on June 4, 2025. Alexis Carlo Corpuz, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Manila lawmaker asks Torre, DOJ to rectify flaws in crime prosecution

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1749883460647174910442028820250604-gen-torre-nicolas-AC-7.webp" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">PNP chief Police Gen. Nicolas Torre answers questions during an interview inside the ABS-CBN compound in Quezon City on June 4, 2025. <em>Alexis Carlo Corpuz, ABS-CBN News </em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — Pursuing evidence-based prosecution and protecting the rights of victims and suspects can help rebuild public trust in law enforcers, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Saturday, as he proposed several legal reforms.</p><p>In a statement, Valeriano issued a list of suggestions to Police Gen. Nicolas Torre III and to the Department of Justice that he said will improve case handling and plug &quot;legal loopholes&quot;.</p><div><strong>NO MEDIA INTERVIEWS WITHOUT COUNSEL</strong></div><p>Among his media-related recommendations are restricting interviews of arrested suspects without their legal counsel to prevent possible abuse of the &quot;ignorance&quot; of the accused. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/13/pnp-awards-p2-3-million-to-tipsters-1740">PNP awards P2.3 million to tipsters</a></div><p>He said the presentation of the suspect to media must be &quot;governed by strictly enforced rules that respect the rights of any suspect or accused as guaranteed by the Constitution.&quot;</p><p>The PNP officially prohibited presenting suspects lined up in a &quot;firing squad&quot; formation in 2008 but the practice is still sometimes done.</p><p>Valeriano also encouraged &quot;consistent rules on the public release of suspects&#x27; mugshots&quot;.  </p><p>To better communicate the Miranda Rights to the accused Valeriano said these must be read to suspects in the regional language or dialect in the locality of the arrest.</p><div><strong>ONLINE PORTAL FOR CRIME STATS AND UPDATES</strong></div><p>He also urged the PNP to develop an online portal with updates on criminal cases that he said &quot;will serve as a countermeasure against amnesia on cases that are sidelined with the passage of time.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/3/22/philippines-drug-war-what-changed-under-president-marcos-1605">Philippines drug war: What changed under President Marcos?</a></div><p>He is also suggesting monthly public posting of index crime statistics — which he said should include drug cases.</p><p>Index crimes are those that the PNP uses to track crime rates and solution rates.</p><div><strong>FILE APPROPRIATE CHARGES</strong></div><p>&quot;The PNP and DOJ should guard against the filing of the wrong charges by police officers for the ulterior purpose of getting the charges against the guilty dismissed, giving them protection against double jeopardy, or using the charges as a form of harassment against the innocent,&quot; he also said.</p><p>He said there have been instances of attempted homicide or attempted murder charges being filed against suspects allegedly liable for lower crimes.</p><p>Valeriano also said that children in conflict with the law &quot;do not have an automatic exemption from arrest and the filing of criminal charges&quot; and that police should follow Supreme Court guidelines on this.</p><p>He added drivers involved in road crashes should not be arrested and charged &quot;despite the existence of clear video or other evidence showing other motorists or pedestrians being at fault.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/2/torre-takes-over-as-pnp-chief-0928">Torre takes over as PNP chief, vows swift service and accountability</a></div><p>&quot;I hope General Torre will be receptive to these observations and suggestions for improved public order and safety,&quot; he said.</p><p>PNP, under Torre&#x27;s new leadership, has recently set a rule to be more &quot;performance-based&quot; in promoting officers.</p><p>Torre said that officers aspiring for promotion will be required to submit affidavits of arrest as &quot;receipts&quot; of their law enforcement work.</p><p>This comes as the new PNP chief made a directive to police officers that the &quot;paramihan&quot; scheme or increased arrests related to drug and criminality <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/2/-paramihan-new-pnp-chief-torre-makes-drug-arrests-a-performance-metric-1208">will be their new performance metric.</a></p>

<p>Pursuing evidence-based prosecution and protecting the rights of victims and suspects can help rebuild public trust in law enforcers, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Saturday, as he proposed several legal reforms.</p>

Pursuing evidence-based prosecution and protecting the rights of victims and suspects can help rebuild public trust in law enforcers, Manila Rep. Rolando Valeriano said Saturday, as he proposed several legal reforms.

Online crime updates, rules on presenting suspects to media among Manila rep’s suggestions to PNP

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Online crime updates, rules on presenting suspects to media among Manila rep’s suggestions to PNP

Ched Rick Gatchalian,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jun 14, 2025 03:27 PM PHT

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