MANILA: The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has deployed over 21,500 personnel to patrol busy and packed streets across Metro Manila as part of its visibility operations.
Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla and NCRPO Director Maj. Gen. Anthony Aberin oversaw the launch of the police visibility program at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City and inspected police stations across Metro Manila on Monday (May 26) morning.
In a statement on Monday, the NCRPO said it deployed:
Further, the NCRPO said 240 community volunteers will serve as force multipliers, whom police deploy to help in law enforcement.
“We will deploy them to select areas like streets and high-density areas, and at the same time, wherever there are a lot of people,” Aberin said in a press conference at Camp Karingal in Quezon City also on Monday.
Last week, PNP Chief Gen. Rommel Marbil directed police to focus on conducting patrols now that their duties for the 2025 national and local elections were done.
Marbil further said the PNP would be reactivating its force multipliers among civic volunteer groups and barangay watchmen to aid in law enforcement.
The NCRPO comprises the Manila Police District, the Quezon City Police District, the Northern Police District (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela), the Eastern Police District (Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina, San Juan), and the Southern Police District (Las Piñas, Makati, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, Pateros, Taguig).
Remulla justified the police visibility operations by citing a “disconnect” between public perception and the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) crime statistics.
“Statistics alone aren’t enough. The people of the Philippines should feel that public safety is number one from the moment they wake up to the moment they sleep,” Remulla said.
The NCRPO reported last Saturday that crime rates in the region were down by 23.13 percent from November 23, 2024, to May 23, 2025, compared to the same period in the year prior.
Aberin further said the police would continuously check up on their deployed personnel to see if they really were at their posts.
“Let’s make sure that our police officers are really there. We have red teaming operations that will conduct inspections to make sure that our police officers are there at their posts,” he explained.
“The moment they are not at their posts, they will be sanctioned administratively,” the NCRPO director stressed.
Last week, Aberin said at least nine personnel were ordered to be relieved from their positions, and 28 were being investigated for leaving their police assistance desks unattended./coa/abc - Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN
