President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was all praises for the Philippine National Police (PNP) in his speech at the 123rd Police Service Anniversary on Thursday morning.
"I acknowledge the strong determination of our police to maintain peace, security, and harmony in our beloved country," Marcos declared. "I salute all of the officers and personnel of the PNP under the current leadership of Police General Rommel Marbil."
He added that PNP Chief PGEN Rommel Francisco Marbil's incumbency has yielded many "noteworthy reforms and achievements" the administration was proud to publicize.
"Our crackdown on illegal drugs, smuggling, illegal gambling, private armed groups, human trafficking, and criminality has also strengthened significantly in ways that are not only effective, but legal and lawful," Marcos stated.
"Indeed, police operations are now conducted as humane, as truthful, and as bloodless as possible," he added.
Patrol operations have also been "intensified" and police deployment increased--the greater manpower and its mobilization having had a hand in the decline of crime rates, notably in "formerly crime-prone areas," said the President.
Other achievements include the PNP's excellent rate of responsiveness ("... to quote the actual number, 99%" of calls for police assistance have been responded to), and its successful joint campaign with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) against militant groups ("1,951 members of local and communist terrorist groups" neutralized).
