[Rappler Investigates] Major General Nick Torre, Duterte’s match

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'Torre was the perfect choice to carry out a difficult mission that a less resolute commander would have been unable to successfully accomplish. Duterte met his match.'

You either love him or detest him if you’ve seen him in action. 

Unforgettable was his firm handling of the tense situation in Davao City last September 2024 that led to the eventual arrest (or surrender, depending on who’s talking) of the seemingly invincible Apollo Quiboloy — self-appointed “Son of God” and leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC). 

Who would have thought it possible to break through a fortress and arrest a supposed pastor who faces mutiple charges of child abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, and human trafficking in separate courts, and is on the FBI’s most wanted list? 

Police and justice reporter Jairo Bolledo recounted events back in 2024 (READ: Police played Apollo Quiboloy’s ‘game’ until told to ‘finish it’) that put on center stage the then-Davao Region police chief who made the Quiboloy arrest possible: police general Nicolas Torre III. 

Months later, Torre would reappear on the national stage, this time figuring in another difficult arrest of a high-profile personality: former president Rodrigo Duterte — hauled from Manila all the way to The Hague. It was no-nonsense management of a situation that saw Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avanceña and daughter Kitty close to hysterics (READ: Inside story: Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC arrest), but still unable to stop the arrest of the former strongman from Davao.

In retrospect, Torre was the perfect choice to carry out a difficult mission that a less resolute commander would have been unable to successfully accomplish. Duterte met his match. 

Torre proved to be the best antidote to influential figures surrounded and protected by rabid, belligerent supporters and followers out to make sure that their powerful “leader” escapes accountability for alleged crimes they defiantly refuse to acknowledge as having been committed.

Jairo tells us the story of NIck Torre, helping us understand the psyche of a police officer born and raised in South Cotabato by a mother who was a teacher and a father who was with the then-Philippine Constabulary. Nick’s father would be assassinated in 1990 in Sultan Kudarat, a decade after being recognized as enlisted man of the year.

The eldest in a brood of five, Nick spoke of his upbringing to Jairo: “I was raised to be tough and to have a strong sense of justice. My moral compass was upright.” 

Now the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, the primary investigation arm of the Philippine National Police, Major General Torre excelled academically and lives by this motto to this day: “Learn from the past, manage the present, anticipate the future.”

PHILIPPINE EDUCATION. Speaking of academics, Education Secretary Sonny Angara appears bent on delivering on his promise to improve the country’s standing in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for 2025 that will test for science proficiency. 

Recall that in the last 2022 test that focused on math, the Philippines, under then-education secretary Sara Duterte, ranked a dismal second to last among 81 countries that participated in the international education assessment. Quite alarming — although it’s worth taking note that it was only in August 2022 when public schools first reopened their doors for onsite learning after the pandemic hit in January 2020.

The Philippine education system has long been in crisis and learners are being left behind. Doing better in global assessments may not be the best measure of success in addressing a complex, systemic problem as these indicators show:

• 6 in 10 high school teachers handling subjects they did not major in – EDCOM 2
• Decades on, Philippines’ education spending still not enough
• Filipino students 4 to 5 years behind expected literacy standards
• Philippines’ classroom shortage may take over 20 years to resolve
• Philippines’ ‘best’ students left behind due to lack of gov’t support

Only strategic thinking and more deliberate planning by government that will involve teachers, parents, schools, and even learners, can ease the lingering crisis.

WATCH. Of late, we have been producing documentaries and short video explainers on wide-ranging topics — Filipino migrant fishers by Iya Gozum,  Congressman Zaldy Co and his controversy-laden business empire by Dwight de Leon and Kaycee Valmonte, why the P20/kilo of rice is impossible by economist JC Punongbayan, the Villar family’s real estate interests as an election issue, plus Pasig City candidate Sarah Discaya’s role in the Comelec’s voting machine contract mess by Dwight, too.

Coming soon is a truly eye-opening documentary on the Duterte phenomenon in Davao City. Currently being put together by Jairo and our Production team, it will touch on history, cultural archetypes, and activism, among others. Watch out for it!

As we approach the Holy Week, do take some time to read (and watch) our unique stories that have been made possible with your support.

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– Rappler.com

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