Stop arrest for the sake of ‘accomplishment’—Remulla
Calls on PNP for more efforts versus ‘incestuous rape’
DEPARTMENT of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla bared his deep knowledge of the goings-on in the country’s criminal justice system as he urged the Philippine National Police (PNP) to stop the habit of arresting suspect for the sake of “quota” and “accomplishment.”
Speaking as Guest of Honor and Speaker during the 70th anniversary of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) on February 10, 2023,
Instead, Remulla called on the CIDG, the country’s premier anti-organized crime group along with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to measure its success on fighting crime with the number of actual convictions and not on the number of persons arrested and cases filed in courts. “That’s the most important metric of success,” Remulla pointed out.
He also called on the CIDG to focus its attention on ‘big-time’ organized crime groups such as drug syndicates.
“Kapag nag-monitor tayo ng mga illegal activities, dapat ay umpisahan natin sa malalaking isda, sa halip na ubusin natin ang ating oras sa maliliit na adik sa lansangan,” Remulla said.
Likewise, Remulla reminded the police that they should not accost people just to have claim of having an accomplishment. He said that he hoped that the arrests made will really help curb crime and criminality.
He cited arrests over petty violations such as gambling with coins on the street or cases when an innocent person is jailed for simply being present during a drug bust “all in the name of accomplishment.”
Moreover, the justice chief also urged the PNP to come up with a program to address the alarming increase in cases of incestuous rape and to ensure that suspects are held accountable.
He revealed that about half of the people under the care of the DOJ’s Witness Protection Program are victims of incestuous rape.
“Kaya isa po itong pakiusap rin sa CIDG sana magkaroon po tayo ng programa tungkol po dito,” he said.
