New NCRPO chief Okubo vows trustworthy, professional police force

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MANILA, Philippines — If the police in Metro Manila fail, the Filipino people will view the Philippine National Police (PNP) as a failure in general, said Maj. Gen. Edgar Alan Okubo on Friday when he formally took over as the new chief of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).

“If the PNP fails in the National Capital Region then, in the eyes of the people, the PNP is a failure in general. I must say that the NCRPO is a show window of the entire PNP–being mapped in the center of economic activities, being the most successful subject of news articles, being confronted with almost all kinds of criminal activities,” he said during the change of command ceremony in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.

“We shall provide an environment that breeds a culture of trust, loyalty and professionalism. On this end, I commit to providing you with the brand of leadership and direction that is founded upon inclusivity and participation within my means and capacity,” he added.

Okubo, who replaced Maj. Gen. Jonnel Estomo–now the new PNP Deputy Chief for Operations, said the NCRPO should be on the forefront of ensuring the security of the Filipino people, instilling a sense of stability to other nations in a bid to attract more investments and pushing back against “enemies of peace and order.”

Okubo also bared his plan to adopt in the NCRPO the Kasimbayanan (Kapulisan, Simbahan at Pamayanan) program of the PNP, which aims to bring the police closer to communities.

“It is my desire that our men in NCRPO will go down to the community and implement the revitalized police in the barangay. Let us bring the police to the center of the community and not the community going and finding where the police [are],” he said.

Okubo likewise vowed to implement the recalibrated anti-illegal drugs campaign of the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. that focuses more on demand reduction and drug user rehabilitation.

 gsg