Danao warns NCRPO commanders: ‘Shape up or you will be shaken up’

MANILA, Philippines — “Shape up or you will be shaken up.”

This was the stern warning of Brig. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr. to chiefs of police and station commanders of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) as he took over as acting director of the Metro Manila police force.

In an ambush interview with reporters at the sidelines of the change of command at the Eastern Police District on Wednesday, Danao said the performance of police officers in the region should not weaken because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and recent typhoons.

“Meron tayo kasing rating in every district. So those who will be rated low, lalong lalo na sa ating mga chiefs of police and station commanders na hindi nagpeperform, I am giving you time to shape up or you will be shaken up,” he said.

(We have a rating system for every district. So those who will be rated low, especially chiefs of police and station commanders who have low performance, I am giving you time to shape up or you will be shaken up.)

Danao said law enforcement should even be intensified in the middle of the pandemic since “others may take advantage of the situation.”

Aside from continuing the campaign against corruption and illegal drugs, Danao said among his priorities as NCRPO chief is to maximize the presence of police personnel in crime-prone areas.

He also vowed to implement Operation Plan LITIS, which he said means “litisin o linisin ang tamad, tiwali at scalawag na miyembro ng ating hanay (to cleanse our ranks of lazy, corrupt, and scalawag members).” This program, according to Danao, is similar to the internal cleansing drive being implemented by the top leadership of the Philippine National Police.

“Hindi po tayo papayag na ang ating mga kapulisan ay magiging abusado lalong-lalo na sa mga civilians. Respect for human rights is an utmost priority. Hindi po tayo papayag na ang ating mga kababayan ay aabusuhin ng men in uniform,” he said.

(We will not allow the police to abuse civilians. Respect for human rights is an utmost priority. We will not allow our countrymen to be abused by men in uniform.)

Apart from these initiatives, Danao said he will also require a regular accounting of NCRPO personnel as well as their firearms.

Danao recently took over as acting director of NCRPO following the promotion of Gen. Debold Sinas as PNP chief.

Before his latest post, Danao previously served as director of the Police Regional Office in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) and as director of the Manila Police District. He was also police chief of Davao City from 2013 to 2016 when President Rodrigo Duterte was still mayor of the city.

/MUF