Latest news with #NicolasTorreIII
GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
PNP says case of body found in Cavite already resolved
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Police General Nicolas Torre III on Monday clarified that the case of the Chinese victim who was found in Cavite has already been resolved. According to Torre, the incident took place in 2022. The victim is a 32-year-old Chinese fugitive who was issued a red notice by the International Criminal Police Organization. He said that the victim is now buried at a public cemetery after his family refused to cooperate with authorities. Torre, meanwhile, slammed critics of the government for digging up the issue. 'Hinuhukay, literal na hinukay sa baul para palabasin lang na para bang bago kasi wala na silang nakitang masama ngayon na kasing sama nu'ng panahon nila,' he said in a briefing. (They're digging up, literally digging from the chest, just to make it seem like it's something new because they can't find anything now that's as bad as what happened during their time.) —KG, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
2 days ago
- Climate
- GMA Network
6 injured, 6 others missing amid Crising —PNP
Six civilians were injured while six others were reported missing due to Severe Tropical Storm Crising, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday. Meanwhile, PNP chief Police General Nicolas Torre III said that the PNP rescued 276 individuals during rescue operations while 35,000 individuals were given assistance at evacuation centers. 'Meron din tayong mga nasirang kagamitan ng PNP at 62 sa ating mga tao ay naapektuhan dahil sa bagyong ito,' he said in a briefing. (Some PNP equipment were also damaged and 62 of our personnel were affected because of this storm.) 'Patuloy tayong nakikipag-ugnayan sa mga LGU at iba pang mga ahensiya ng pamahalaan upang matiyak ang kaligtasan ng ating mga kababayan,' he added. (We are continuously coordinating with the LGUs and other government agencies to ensure the safety of our fellow citizens.) According to Torre, around 2,600 personnel were deployed for disaster response operations while 7,000 personnel were on Reactionary Standby Support Force. Classes for Monday, July 21, 2025, have been suspended in some areas due to the inclement weather. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said they received reports about five fatalities due to the combined effects of the Southwest Monsoon (Habagat) and Crising, and they were already able to validate two of these. The NDRRMC also said there were five reported injured and seven missing. Meanwhile, a total of 800,864 individuals or 225,985 families were affected by the monsoon and severe tropical storm in 1,556 barangays, it added. A total of 20,115 individuals or 5,921 families are staying in evacuation centers. Those outside evacuation centers totalled 70,720 individuals or 16,671 families, the NDRRMC said. —KG, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
7 days ago
- GMA Network
PNP 911 demo catches real-life police response in Davao del Norte
What was supposed to only be a simulation turned out to be a real-life police response as the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police tested the country's latest 9-1-1 response technology on Wednesday. In Jun Veneracion's report in '24 Oras,' the police responded to a 9-1-1 call from Panabo, Davao del Norte which was witnessed by PNP chief General Nicolas Torre III from Camp Crame in Quezon City. The caller sought help because of a suspicious man who checked in at a small hotel. The man is also the suspect in an earlier shooting incident in Tagum City, the report said. The police response was caught in real-time through body cameras worn by responding cops. 'Despite the technology we are using, we are doing very well. But sa bagong sistema natin I think the PNP will have a better response time,' said Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jonvic Remulla. The new 9-1-1 system will be operational by the middle of August. The system is from a technology provider that won the bid for a contract worth over P1.4 billion. Among the features of the latest system is the capability to detect the location of the caller. 'Ang features niya ay language sensitive. So kung tatawag ka sa Pampanga, Kapampangan ang sasagot sa iyo,' said Remulla. (Among the features is that it is language sensitive. For instance, if you call from Pampanga, you will receive a response in Kapampangan.) Police said prank callers will also be easily caught by the latest technology. — Vince Angelo Ferreras/RF, GMA Integrated News
The Star
08-07-2025
- The Star
Philippines detains 15 police officers over alleged killings of cockfighting fans
FILE PHOTO: This photo taken on March 22, 2022 shows roosters squaring off during a cockfight at the World Slasher Cup 2022 in Manila. The Philippines justice secretary said on July 4, 2025 he has asked for Japan's technical assistance in searching for dozens of cockfighting participants allegedly killed by rogue police and dumped in a lake south of Manila. - AFP MANILA: Fifteen police officers have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their alleged role in the abductions and feared killings of at least 34 cockfighting fans, the Philippine police chief said Monday (July 7). The missing people were accused of cheating in the hugely popular sport, with their bodies reportedly dumped in a scenic lake with a restive volcano. The victims went missing around 2021 and 2022 mostly while on their way to or from cockfighting arenas dotting the main northern Philippine region of Luzon, including in the metropolitan Manila capital region. The unresolved disappearances again drew public attention after a key witness recently surfaced and accused his former employer, a gambling tycoon, of masterminding the killings, with bodies reportedly dumped in Taal Lake south of Manila or burned elsewhere. National police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a news conference that a key witness, who used the alias "Totoy,' provided crucial details. The cockfighting aficionados and workers were strangled and mutilated before being dumped. Police investigators have corroborated the details and evidence provided by the witness which will be used in criminal complaints to be filed by the Department of Justice against the suspects, he said. The witness has told local TV networks that he decided to speak out because his former employer was allegedly threatening to have him killed. He said he wanted to help ease the agony of families of the victims who had been demanding justice for their missing kin. "I was very shocked,' Torre said when asked how he felt over the disclosures made by the witness, who is under police guard. "It firmed up our resolve to really solve this because what happened was savage and not acceptable by any standard.' Criminal complaints will be filed against the influential businessman, who owns cockfighting arenas and other gambling businesses, and other suspects, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. The businessman has denied the allegations. Remulla said he would ask Japan to help provide technology to help look for traces of the remains of the victims, which could still be retrieved from the bottom of Taal Lake about four years after the killings. While banned in the United States and other Western countries largely due to animal cruelty concerns, cockfighting has been a popular pastime and gambling sport in many parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Latin America and some parts of Europe. Cockfighting arenas are found prominently in far-flung rural towns and major cities across the Philippines and draw large numbers of aficionados in an industry that has become a vibrant part of the local culture and a regulated gambling business that generates state revenues and thousands of jobs. The game involves pitting two roosters - with razor-sharp gaffs or steel blades attached to their legs - in a battle often to the death amid the roar of the crowd. The missing cockfighting aficionados and workers were accused of cheating by discreetly taking steps to weaken one rooster or diminishing its chances of winning, including by slightly injuring it, then betting on the other rooster. - AP
The Hill
08-07-2025
- The Hill
15 police officers detained over alleged killings of cockfighting fans in the Philippines
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Fifteen police officers have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their alleged role in the abductions and feared killings of at least 34 cockfighting fans, the Philippine police chief said Monday. The missing people were accused of cheating in the hugely popular sport, with their bodies reportedly dumped in a scenic lake with a restive volcano. The victims went missing around 2021 and 2022 mostly while on their way to or from cockfighting arenas dotting the main northern Philippine region of Luzon, including in the metropolitan Manila capital region. The unresolved disappearances again drew public attention after a key witness recently surfaced and accused his former employer, a gambling tycoon, of masterminding the killings, with bodies reportedly dumped in Taal Lake south of Manila or burned elsewhere. National police chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III said in a news conference that a key witness, who used the alias 'Totoy,' provided crucial details. The cockfighting aficionados and workers were strangled and mutilated before being dumped. Police investigators have corroborated the details and evidence provided by the witness which will be used in criminal complaints to be filed by the Department of Justice against the suspects, he said. The witness has told local TV networks that he decided to speak out because his former employer was allegedly threatening to have him killed. He said he wanted to help ease the agony of families of the victims who had been demanding justice for their missing kin. 'I was very shocked,' Torre said when asked how he felt over the disclosures made by the witness, who is under police guard. 'It firmed up our resolve to really solve this because what happened was savage and not acceptable by any standard.' Criminal complaints will be filed against the influential businessman, who owns cockfighting arenas and other gambling businesses, and other suspects, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said. The businessman has denied the allegations. Remulla said he would ask Japan to help provide technology to help look for traces of the remains of the victims, which could still be retrieved from the bottom of Taal Lake about four years after the killings. While banned in the United States and other Western countries largely due to animal cruelty concerns, cockfighting has been a popular pastime and gambling sport in many parts of Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, Latin America and some parts of Europe. Cockfighting arenas are found prominently in far-flung rural towns and major cities across the Philippines and draw large numbers of aficionados in an industry that has become a vibrant part of the local culture and a regulated gambling business that generates state revenues and thousands of jobs. The game involves pitting two roosters — with razor-sharp gaffs or steel blades attached to their legs — in a battle often to the death amid the roar of the crowd. The missing cockfighting aficionados and workers were accused of cheating by discreetly taking steps to weaken one rooster or diminishing its chances of winning, including by slightly injuring it, then betting on the other rooster.
