Daven Tamayo

Torre insists Duterte arrest was 'done by the book'

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)

TORRE THUMB

Kevin Alabaso

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA (<strong>UPDATED</strong>) — Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Nicolas Torre III said on Wednesday former President Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s arrest was &quot;done by the book.&quot;</p><p>Torre, as chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, served the warrant of arrest to the former president on March 11.</p><p>&quot;Until now, I really insist that we did everything by the book. We did everything by the ambit of the law. Kung may mga nagsasabing otherwise, gaya halimbawa ng Senate Committee on Foreign Relations... hihintayin natin ano&#x27;ng sasabihin ng Ombudsman regarding that matter because hindi masasabi ng chairman ng Senate Committee on Foreign Relations na tama siya because she&#x27;s not a judge. Ang kaniyang na-find out and sinabi sa mga report na &#x27;yun ay opinyon niya rin lang,&quot; Torre said in an interview with DZMM TeleRadyo&#x27;s Spot Report.</p><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/174904442809620250604-gen-torre-nicolas-AC-8.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">PNP Chief P/Gen. Nicolas Torre III 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>He also said he believes the arrest was &quot;proper&quot; and that Duterte was even treated differently from other &quot;fugitives&quot; since he was allowed to sit on the presidential chair even though Duterte was not the commander in chief anymore.</p><p>&quot;It never happened to any other fugitive except him. So talagang sa kaniya lang nangyari &#x27;yon na pinagbigyan pa natin na maupo doon sa presidential chair eh hindi naman na siya presidente na,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Napakatagal ng negosasyon doon—12 oras. So it&#x27;s really a very big leeway for him. Grabeng accomodation &#x27;yun para sa kaniya. Because under normal circumstances, hindi gano&#x27;n &#x27;yun He would have been hold off to a vehicle that will bring him to jail,&quot; he added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/3/11/what-we-know-about-ex-president-rodrigo-dutertes-arrest-1718">READ: What we know about ex- president Rodrigo Duterte&#x27;s arrest</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/4/10/cidg-chief-torre-says-arrest-of-duterte-was-lawful-2031">READ: CIDG chief Torre says Duterte arrest was lawful</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>ON SARA, BASTE QUESTIONING HIS APPOINTMENT</strong></div><p>Regarding Vice President Sara Duterte&#x27;s remark that Torre&#x27;s promotion was &quot;sketchy,&quot; the PNP chief reminded her of her father&#x27;s first appointed PNP chief.</p><p>&quot;Ang kinukwestiyon niya doon bakit daw 2-star general ako biglang nag 4-star. Marami akong tinalunan na mga 3-star at senior. Kaya binalik ko na lang sa kaniya, ang iksi naman ng kaniyang memorya. Baka nakalimutan niya na ang unang chief PNP ng tatay niya ay 1-star na ginawang 4-star. And nobody questioned it, including me,&quot; he said.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/4/-masyadong-sketchy-yung-decision-vp-duterte-on-torre-s-appointment-as-pnp-chief-0900">‘Masyadong sketchy ‘yung decision: VP Duterte on Torre’s appointment as PNP chief</a></div><p>Torre also blasted Sara&#x27;s brother Baste Duterte for also questioning his appointment as PNP&#x27;s top cop.</p><p>&quot;Hindi siya marunong magbasa e. Parang ang iksi ng kaniyang memorya at batikos lang siya nang batikos na, sabagay, nakikita naman natin sa social media na binabanatan naman siya ng netizens kasi hindi naman bobo ang ating mga kababayan. Matatalino ang mga Pilipino, except maybe siguro sa iilang kagaya niya na hindi nagbabasa, o hindi updated, o may selective amnesia,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Alam niya &#x27;yan. Alam niya ang totoo dyan kaya lang para lang makabatikos ay susubukan niyang lumusot,&quot; he added.</p><p>When asked if he would &quot;make peace&quot; with the Dutertes, Torre said he doesn&#x27;t consider them as personal enemies.</p><p>&quot;Hindi ko sila personal na kaaway ha. Wala tayong pine-personal dito. These are all just part of doing our job. We have our roles to play... kami ay law enforcers, we just have to enforce the law. Sila naman ay may sarili ring mga papel and if they choose to play it na batikusin kami, walang problema doon. There&#x27;s nothing personal about it,&quot; he said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>QUICKER POLICE RESPONSE</strong></div><p>Torre also assured the public that they can expect quicker police responses, better discipline, and a stronger focus on internal reforms during his tenure.</p><p>He had earlier highlighted the importance of the five-minute response time to 911 calls in Metro Manila, which aligns with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/4/pnp-chief-vows-5-minute-response-to-911-calls-in-metro-manila-1215">READ: PNP chief vows five-minute response to 911 calls in Metro Manila</a></div><p>Training and discipline are also at the forefront of Torre&#x27;s agenda. He committed to ongoing education for police officers, including remedial programs for those who need improvement in field response.</p><p>&quot;Continuous ang training natin, kaya may career courses. Sa ngayon naman sa atin… I&#x27;ve asked the training service to activate training programs,&quot; he said.</p><p>Torre believes that supervisors should go out and be with the trainees to make sure that everything is put into place and be done with professional standards, heading up that these training leaders will be held accountable for their teams&#x27; performance, facing penalties if they fail to promote professionalism. -- <strong>with a report from Mon Rodelas, ABS-CBN News</strong></p>