OVER 25,000 wanted persons in the country have been sent to jail by agents of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from July to October this year amid the police force’s intensified effort to account for all lawbreakers in order to keep the streets safe 24/7, PNP chief, General Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. said.

The PNP chief said he has ordered his men to continue their unrelenting efforts to account for most wanted persons in the country to prevent these criminals from getting any opportunity to prey on more targets in the streets.

“We are going all-out against all most wanted persons in the country specifically those who are covered with prizes on their heads for their involvement in major crimes like kidnappings, terrorism, drugs, robbery-holdup, murder and the like,” the top cop told the Journal Group.

The top cop said that among those arrested during the period were 19 Top Most Wanted Persons (TMWP) with monetary reward offered by the Department of Interior and Local Government for information leading to their arrest.

“Nonetheless, PNP Units accomplished the duty of law enforcement to implement orders of the court to effect arrest of criminal offenders,” Gen. Azurin added.

The PNP chief explained that during the past three months, the PNP likewise posted high-performance ratings on key issues of promoting peace, enforcing the law, and fighting criminality as expressed by a good majority of Filipinos in a recent social survey by Pulse Asia.

He also mentioned that this expression of the people’s outlook is consistent with crime data and offers an accurate validation of the prevailing crime situation as he commended police units for yet another sterling exploit against notorious fugitives.

“Our steadfast commitment to pursuing good governance and to creating more stable, peaceful, and secure communities for the Filipino people is what unites all our sustained efforts as we measure up with the National Strategic Direction set by President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr on peace and security,” Gen. Azurin said.

The PNP chief at the same time urged all his men to maintain their vigor until all criminals are brought to justice and be held accountable for their felonies.

The PNP chief said that from July 1 to October 6 this year or during the 1st 98-days of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr., they have arrested 21 Top Most Wanted Persons (MWP) with bounties for their capture offered by both the Department of Interior and Local Government and Department of National Defense.

The intensified efforts to account for wanted criminals nationwide during the period led in the surrender of one Top MWP with a prize on his head; the surrender of 134 MWPs and the arrest of a total of 254,848 MWPs.

Gen. Azurin said a total of 20 wanted persons were also killed in gunfights with police operatives out to arrest them. Three of the slain suspects were tagged as Top MWPs while 17 are considered as MWPs.

According to the top cop, 66 of the law offenders captured were among the Regional MWPs, 124 are Provincial MWPs, and 489 are City/Municipal MWPs. The rest are other wanted persons.

After he was appointed by PBBM as the country’s 28th PNP chief, Gen. Azurin ordered all PNP units to further intensify their campaign against most wanted persons, particularly ordering PNP Director for Intelligence, Major Gen. Benjamin C. Acorda Jr. to focus their drive on MWPs with bounties on their head offered by the Department of Interior and Local Government.

The top cop has instructed all 17 Police Regional Offices and the different PNP National Operational Support Units led by the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to ensure that they won’t give wanted persons in their areas ‘any good time to sleep.

Amid the instructions of Gen. Azurin, the PNP-CIDG headed by Brigadier Gen. Ronald O. Lee has likewise stepped-up its effort to account for all wanted foreigners in the country especially those who have fled to The Philippines after being charged for major crimes such as fraud and embezzlement in their own countries, the Journal Group learned.

Brig. Gen. Lee said they are fully partnering with the Fugitive Search Unit of the Bureau of Immigration in tracking down wanted foreign nationals found hiding in Manila and other parts of the country.

The PNP-CIDG in fact has been cited by many of foreign police agencies with offices in the country for its big help in capturing their citizens who have fled to Manila after becoming fugitives in their own countries since the start of the new normal brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.