ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider PNP orders local police chiefs to keep crime rate down, pursue wanted persons

PNP orders local police chiefs to keep crime rate down, pursue wanted persons

Published Jan 23, 2026 03:17 pm
Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. (middle), acting chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), delivers a speech during his visit to the Caraga Police Regional Office (PRO-13) on Jan. 22, 2026 to engage with personnel, assess regional operations, and strengthen the bond between leadership and frontliners. (Photo: PNP)
Police Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. (middle), acting chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), delivers a speech during his visit to the Caraga Police Regional Office (PRO-13) on Jan. 22, 2026 to engage with personnel, assess regional operations, and strengthen the bond between leadership and frontliners. (Photo: PNP)
The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Friday, Jan. 23, ordered all police units down to city and municipal levels to sustain gains in reducing criminal incidents and step up efforts to account for all wanted persons.
Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr., acting PNP chief, emphasized the need for regular crime monitoring under the Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO) strategy to maintain peace and order in the communities.
“We owe it to the Filipino people in every community for them to feel safe and secure in their home, in the streets, and every place that they would go. This is what we trained for, and this is what we must do,” he said.
Police recorded a 12.4 percent decline in focus crimes in 2025, from 40,771 in 2024 to 35,717 last year.
In Metro Manila, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported a 24 percent drop in the first 20 days of 2026.
Nartatez stressed the necessity of strict monitoring to ensure incidents are promptly addressed and highlighted the need for visible police presence and strategic deployment based on crime mapping.
He noted that coordination with local government units down to barangay level is key for preventive action and rapid response to any disturbance of peace and order.
“The wanted lists from the national down to the municipal level exist for no other purpose but to serve as a motivation, to boost determination, and a daily challenge to get all of them in the soonest possible time,” Nartatez said.
“And it does not end in the accounting for all of them. These lists must be regularly updated. When one is apprehended, a new one rises until we gradually reduce the number of fugitives in our country,” he added.
In several regions, Nartatez said that wanted lists have been fully accounted for in weeks or months through aggressive intelligence-gathering and strategic operations.
Recent successes include the neutralization of a wanted politician after a 30-minute gun battle in Kalinga. Two wanted members of kidnapping groups targeting foreigners were also arrested in Romblon and Pasay City.
Read: Kalinga politician dies after engaging cops in 30-minute firefight over arrest warrant
Nartatez said that while the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) focuses on high-profile cases, city and municipal police commanders must account for their respective wanted persons.
He stressed that coordination among police units is crucial as fugitives often move between urban centers and remote provincial areas.
“This grassroots approach strengthens public safety and ensures that no criminal can find a safe haven within our municipalities,” he said.

Related Tags

PNP crime rate wanted persons Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr.
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.