CLEAN literally inside and out.

This is what the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) headed by Major General Vicente D. Danao Jr. has been doing as it fully implements the Intensified Cleanliness Program of Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, General Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar.

In support to Gen. Eleazar’s policy, Danao, a member of Philippine Military Academy ‘Sambisig’ Class of 1991 has been conducting surprise inspections of Metro Manila police stations and police-community precincts to see to it that the PNP chief’s three-pronged cleanliness program are followed to the hilt.

The NCRPO has also started the use of QR Codes in their recruitment in order to weed out the the ‘palakasan or padrino’ system and ensure that the applicants are highly qualified for the post and are able to enter the Metro Manila police force on their own and without any form of influence-peddling which Gen. Eleazar abhors.

Gen. Eleazar also hopes the cleanliness in the community will lead to faster resolution of crimes; more law-abiding citizenry; and more peaceful communities now that the PNP is taking a more active stance in targeting High-Value Individuals (HVIs); confiscating large quantities of illegal drugs; and conducting Barangay Drug Clearing Operations.

The 26th PNP chief started the policy when he was still the NCRPO director in 2019. The three-pronged program includes cleanliness in all PNP stations and offices; cleanliness in ranks as part of an internal cleansing policy; and cleanliness in community as part of anti-criminality campaign.

The NCRPO chief has emphasized that discipline in the police force is ‘non-negotiable’ as he warned that there will be no room for any misfits and scalawags in the Metro Manila police force under his Oplan LITIS or Litisin ang Tiwalag at Iskalawag na Miyembro ng Kapulisan program.

The known criminal nemesis has warned rogue members of the Metro Manila police force and defiant to either mend their ways or suffer the consequences of their misdeeds. He also warned his commanders to ‘shape up or ship out’ as he conducts his surprise inspection of NCRPO stations, PCPs and checkpoints to ensure that his men are performing their actual duties.

The official specifically called on policemen engaged in illegal drug activities to stop their illicit ways as he is already implementing his Oplan: Litis among rogue police officers.

“This has been my program since Day 1 that I became commander at my own level. Oplan Litis means Litisin ang Tiwalag at Iskalawag na Miyembro ng Kapulisan,” he said.

Danao has asked all members of the PNP specifically those assigned in NCRPO to toe the line under his leadership and that of Gen. Eleazar. “Nakikiusap ako sa inyo, let us put a stop especially to anti-illegal drugs. Kung mayroon mang paisa-isa pa sa inyo na medyo nawawalay ng landas, ngayon pa lang sinasabihan ko na kayo, the door is always open for you to leave,” he said.

He advised the police force to always remember President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs as well as their all-out efforts against criminality and corruption. “We can only do that with devotion and hard work towards our sworn duty which is to serve and protect our community and I would rather believe that discipline is properly embedded in the hearts and minds of our people here in NCRPO,” the incoming two-star police general said.

Danao also called on his commanders to perform effectively under the new normal, meaning, they should be on their toes 24/7 and conduct intensified law enforcement operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic to prevent criminal elements from taking advantage of the situation.

The official has directed all NCRPO chiefs of police to account for their personnel, to submit a 100 percent attendance that they have accounted properly their personnel and to include all firearms and other properties. “We have to do this because we cannot attain ‘yung sinasabi kong visibility kapag wala kang makitang pulis,” he said.

Since he took over as Metro Manila police director in November last year, Maj. Gen. Danao has led the NCRPO in scoring exceptional accomplishments in the most complext region in the country, thus reflecting the successful accomplishments of the mission and functions of the PNP.

Since last November, the NCRPO’s intensified anti-criminality operations have already resulted in the seizure of over 227 kilograms of shabu, more than 390 kilos of marijuana and nearly 2,000 Ecstasy tablets worth nearly P1.6 billion.

The NCRPO during the period also arrested more than 700 Most Wanted Persons and 4,383 other wanted men further resulting to a major crime reduction specifically the 8 Focus Crimes in the metropolis.

As the Regional Task Force COVID Shield commander, Danao is also tirelessly supervising implementation of the Inter Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases guidelines in Metro Manila.

He also spearheaded the launching of PNP BARANGAYanihan Help and Food Bank to have readily available food supplies for distribution and the NCRPO “Libreng Sakay” Program to accommodate the needs of the public particularly in the labor sector who have been affected by limited number of public transport due to the implementation of much stricter quarantine protocols inside the NCR Plus Bubble.

Maj. Gen. Danao also continued the programs of the PNP against COVID-19 such as the maintenance of Special Health Care Facilities for NCRPO personnel, conducted a series of Coronavirus Awareness Response and Empowerment Information Drive, conducted regular swab test for NCRPO personnel, continuous decontamination of offices and roads, cleaning of personnel path walks using the newly procured fire truck, strict implementation of proper waste management, and distribution of food packs and health kits prioritizing indigent communities within the metropolis.

The official also provided around P2.4 million worth of financial assistance to PNP personnel and their dependents who contracted the virus.

Danao is also known for personifying his program Team NCRPO “Serbisyong TAMA: TApat, may tapang at MAlasakit para sa mamamayan magnified through the different programs he launched for the benefit of poor metropolitan residents.

At the same time, he implemented the NCRPO’s “Serbisyong Tama Caravan sa Barangay Program and Project Sibol which all aimed to reach out to the most vulnerable sectors of the community.