Government agencies, including the Philippine National Police (PNP), will regain public trust through more decisive and responsive actions, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said during his speech at the 124th Police Service Anniversary held on Tuesday, August 2.
Marcos lauded the PNP for their efforts to retain peace and order in several communities during the celebration. During his speech, Marcos cited the data results between June 2024 and June 2025, stating that crime incidents from that period decreased compared to previous years.
“We recognize that numbers alone cannot allay the fears of our people. As public servants, we do not ask people to celebrate statistics if their experiences tell a different story. That is why we must regain the trust of the public through more decisive and responsive actions,” Marcos said, stating that the PNP is now on the right track.
This year, Marcos said that the PNP marked several critical milestones, with one of them being the five-minute response time strategy.
“Five minutes. Just a relatively small window of time. But five minutes can mean the difference between safety and danger, even between life and death,” he said.
Aside from that, the PNP also introduced the revitalized 911 emergency hotline, which allowed personnel to respond to thousands of emergency calls and prompt police assistance, intervention, and search and rescue operations.
The main challenge that police will face now is to ensure that in times of crisis and even on ordinary days, there will be people who are ready to answer someone’s call for help.
This is how we rebuild the trust that the police will come, no matter what time, no matter what the circumstances, they will arrive. We owe our people a system that they can rely on,” Marcos stressed.
Despite their continued pursuit of modernization, Marcos highlighted that technology will never replace the importance of the PNP’s on-ground presence.
“Technology will never replace the importance of your presence on the ground. These tools are only effective as the men and women who wield those tools. Considering this day and age, criminals have mastered new and sophisticated ways to advance their schemes,” he said.
“Inaabuso nila ang mga makabagong teknolohiya upang manloko, manlinlang, at magbiktima. Ito ang kailangan nating bantayan, at ito ang dapat nating sugpuin. Huwag din natin kalimutan na bahagi ng banta sa seguridad ang mga nasa hanay na bumabaluktot mismo ng ating layunin,” he added.
Nearing the end of his speech, Marcos assured that the government does not and will not condone wrongdoing among officials. As the PNP marks another year of service, the President reminded policemen of the true measure of their effectiveness: the way they make people feel safe and empowered under their watch.
