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MANILA, Philippines — Law enforcement in the country has vastly improved on the heels of sweeping police reforms and as shown by declining crime rates and improving public trust, Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said yesterday.
In an interview with The STAR’s “Truth on the Line” Remulla said a breakthrough was clearing a backlog of about 15,000 administrative cases against police officers at the National Police Commission, which he chairs.
“In one year and two months, we finished the entire 15,000. There is no backlog now,” he said, adding that cases against erring officers are now resolved within 60 days, creating a strong disincentive for misconduct because pensions may be affected.
He acknowledged limits to screening police recruits, saying moral character cannot be fully measured through examinations and can only be seen over time.
Still, Remulla said crime indicators show improvement, noting the absence of extrajudicial killings, as well as so-called “ninja cops,” kidnapping-for-ransom cases and drug recycling operations in recent months.
Drug supply has also tightened, he said, with interdiction efforts leading to the seizure of about half of the country’s estimated annual methamphetamine or shabu consumption, pushing prices from around P3,800 to P6,800 per gram.
“Drugs are more expensive and less available. Crime is down, and we did not have to kill anyone,” Remulla said.
He added that trust ratings for the police have risen as abusive officers are gradually removed from the 220,000-strong organization, though he admitted the force “will never be perfect.”
Addressing tourist safety concerns, Remulla said only a few incidents involving foreign visitors have been recorded in the past six to eight months, fewer than in previous periods.
To boost security and police visibility, he said the government has ordered 800 additional police vehicles for Metro Manila, where only about 550 patrol cars currently serve the entire National Capital Region.
Authorities are also strengthening communications systems and expanding access to the unified 911 emergency hotline. “With better resources, planning and visibility, we can stop these incidents,” Remulla said.
Congressmen in illegal tobacco trade
Remulla also revealed at a briefing earlier yesterday that congressmen from Northern Luzon are believed to be the owners and financiers of an illegal tobacco manufacturing facility in Mexico, Pampanga whose activities may have deprived the government of P30 billion in excise taxes before it was raided and shut down late last month.
“They control the entire ecosystem of illegal tobacco,” Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla said, referring to the two lawmakers. Remulla and Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Ariel Nepomuceno inspected the raided illegal cigarette factory and warehouse in Barangay Panipuan operated by Samyong Global Corp., formerly Sangil Steel Philippines.
Remulla declined to name the two politicians but said they were from Northern Luzon. “We know it’s them but we cannot link them directly yet. Once we do, we will reveal the names,” he later told The STAR’s “Truth on the Line.”
Nepomuceno, for his part, reminded retailers to make sure their suppliers of cigarette products are legal.
“The Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act is very strict. There is no bail, and if they are proven guilty, they will remain in custody while the case is heard in court,” the BOC commissioner said.
Apart from the raided warehouse in Mexico, Remulla said there are about 10 other illegal tobacco manufacturing sites being monitored and may be raided.
Operatives from Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Customs raided Samyong’s warehouse on Jan. 28 and arrested six Chinese nationals and rescued 63 Filipino workers.
Five of the Chinese arrived as tourists in March 2025 while the sixth, a mechanic, came in last December.
The three cigarette-making machines recovered at the factory can each produce P115 million worth of unregistered cigarettes per day, or about P4.5 billion in a month. Police also found two packing machines, fake tax stamps and illegal cigarette brands such as Two Moon, Carnival Cigarette and HP worth P400 million.
Based on the BOC inventory, meanwhile, the seized cigarette-making machines are worth ?142 million. Raw materials are worth ?200 million, while finished products are estimated to cost ?48 million. The machines and raw materials are believed to be smuggled because they were stamped with foreign markings and without the corresponding import permits or proper customs documentation.
Apart from violation of Republic Act 12022, or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, the Chinese nationals may also be slapped with human trafficking charges for employing 63 workers whom they subjected to inhumane conditions, including not paying their salaries and forcing them to stay in cramped barracks. “We consider that as involuntary servitude,” Remulla said.
The incorporators of the company, identified by Remulla as Stephanie Sampana, Sweetly Wan Sampana, Brian Manzano, and South Koreans Moong San Kim and Su Yong Kim, are being investigated for their possible role in the illegal activities in the warehouse. “We are looking deeper into the entire structure of this company,” Remulla said.
Remulla said they will also look check if the Mexico municipal government had issued business permit for the operation at the warehouse or if it had inspected the facility. - Mark Ernest Villeza, Bella Cariaso, Ric Sapnu
