GENERAL Tateng Nartatez, the country’s 32nd chief of the Philippine National Police is really being true to his word that he wants his men not only to prevent crimes but see to it that if they happen, the culprits will really be identified, jailed with the certainty of conviction, and most importantly, bring real justice to all.
That is what the top cop wants: a standard in the 232,000-strong force where the template is simple: a conduct of an honest-to-goodness investigation with the real intention of finding the real criminals and seeing to it they will be inquested and formally charged in court, with the end in view of seeing them pay for their crimes in prison.
As required by the Department of Justice, the PNP has shifted its policy to require officers-on-case to be very strict in determining reasonable certainty of conviction before filing criminal charges in court. Formalized in 2024, the new policy veers away from the traditional ‘probable case’ standard for initiating prosecutions in the past.
Under Gen. Nartatez, there have been countless cases in which police investigators really have established a prima facie case by gathering solid pieces of evidence including CCTV footages and documents as well as witnesses sufficient to establish all elements of the crime and warrant a conviction beyond reasonable doubt.
The new policy actually helps declog court dockets, prevent weak cases and reduce the number of people in jail who are later acquitted. It also involves a more proactive role of government prosecutors in building up cases against crime suspects by working with the police to secure necessary evidence before the actual filing of the case.
For me, the new policy issued by former Justice Secretary and now Ombudsman Boying Remulla are really very helpful in achieving what many Filipinos have long dreamed about: a more efficient and accountable justice system.
Let me cite two celebrated cases-they could be among the ‘crimes of the year’ which really showed an honest-to-goodness conduct of police investigation where officers worked round-the-clock to get to the bottom of the two cases resulting in arrests of suspects whom I believe will really pay for the dastardly crimes they have done.
I’m referring to the good work done by the Quezon City Police District headed by Brigadier Gen. Glenn Silvio and the Pasay City Police Station led by Colonel Angelito de Sesto: both under the tutelage of NCRPO director, Major Gen. Anthony Aberin.
The QCPD solved the case of slain Police Senior Master Sergeant Diane Marie Mollenido and her 8-year-old innocent son whose bodies were dumped separately in Bulacan and Tarlac last month, with the arrest of three suspects in the case and the filing of two counts of murder cases against them.
The Q.C. investigating prosecutor found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction against the three suspects identified as ex-policeman Christian Panganiban, his wife Pia Katrina and their driver Gil Dy Jr., all due to the in-depth and thorough investigation conducted by the QCPD.
Katrina’s sister Maribel who was initially named as a suspect has been cleared of all charges and will now be treated as an ordinary witness. Furthermore, the charges against Mollenido’s estranged husband, police officer John Mollenido, was dropped after the court granted a motion to remove his name from the list of respondents.
This week marked another operational milestone for the PNP with the arrest of two suspects linked to a violent killing in Pasay City, just days after a blue drum containing “chopped” human remains of a Chinese national was discovered in Manila last Sunday.
Investigators traced the drum to a condominium unit in Pasay, identifying a 32-year-old Asian national with a forged Taiwanese passport as the principal suspect and a 64-year-old Filipino interpreter as his accomplice.
Coordinated efforts across units including the Pasay City Police Station, the Southern Police District under Brig. Gen. Randy Areco and the PNP Highway Patrol Group headed by Brig. Gen. Hansel Marantan led to their apprehension in quick succession, underscoring the value of systematic investigation, inter-agency cooperation, and persistent follow-up, the PNP chief said.
“From the recovery of the drum to the arrest of the suspects, every step was deliberate and supported by evidence. Mula sa simula, pinakita ng ating mga operatiba ang dedikasyon at galing nila. Congratulations to all units involved. Dahil sa mabilis at maayos ninyong koordinasyon, walang makakalusot sa pananagutan. Ang hustisya ay mabilis, tapat, at walang kinikilingan,” Gen. Nartatez said.
The investigation relied on CCTV footage, vehicle tracking, and intelligence work to reconstruct the crime and identify those responsible. Early-morning operations led to the arrest of the interpreter, followed by the principal suspect the next day at a hotel in Parañaque City.
Both suspects are now in custody and will face charges of murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code.
Gen. Nartatez said these accomplishments highlight the PNP’s commitment to swift, evidence-based action under its Focused Agenda, implemented through Enhanced Managing Police Operations (EMPO). It also reflects the organization’s broader mission to ensure that accountability is enforced, not just promised, he explained.
“Nais nating iparating sa publiko na sa pamamagitan ng maayos at sistematikong proseso, hindi namin pinapalampas ang kahit anong detalye, at titiyakin naming mananagot ang bawat responsable,” Gen. Nartatez said.
The man with the forged Taiwanese documents was accused of killing and dismembering a Chinese national inside his condominium unit in Pasay City before dumping the chopped body parts near Del Pan Bridge in Binondo, Manila.
The 32-year-old suspect identified only as alias “Davao” was tracked down around 1:30 p.m. Thursday inside the Okada Hotel and Casino in Parañaque City following a hot pursuit operation, Maj. Gen. Aberin said.
The victim of the gruesome murder case was also identified as a Chinese national with the name “Xiangyang.” He was identified through an S&R Membership Shopping Card recovered during the investigation.
The arrest of “Davao” was made possible through the cooperation of his live-in partner, the assistance of hotel management, and the efforts of Pasay police personnel who pursued the suspect by following multiple leads and going in different locations to arrest him.
For the information of the public, officers from the HPG National Capital Region headed by newly-promoted Colonel Joey Caise arrested the first suspect identified as alias “Victor” inside No. 1424 Mactan Street in Baclaran, Pasay City around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
It was him who rented the L-300 van used to dump the victim’s chopped parts. Police found CCTV footages which showed how the suspects brought the drum with the dismembered human parts from the killer’s room to the elevator down to the parking area where they loaded it to the van.
The victim was found to have been stabbed in the neck before his body was cut into five pieces with the use of a hacksaw. Investigators recovered inside the suspect’s room bloodstains, a bloodstained pillow, a bloodstained mop believed to have been used to clean the area as well as “carcasses” of the victim’s body.
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