New PNP Chief focuses police work on patrolling streets to prevent crimes

MANILA(PNA) – The newly-appointed PNP Chief Police Director Ricardo C. Marquez on Tuesday said that he will focus patrolling streets to prevent crimes and properly investigate crimes. This is an opportune time to focus more in doing the core functions of the police and that is patrolling the streets in our communities to prevent crimes, to make sure that crimes are properly investigated if we failed to prevent them from happening, and to track down and take down most wanted criminals and criminal gangs,” Marquez said during a press conference held at PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.Marquez’s appointment was made seven months after Deputy Director General Leonardo was named as the PNP’s acting chief.The former PNP Director for Operations (DO) also said that PNP would continue to provide security during the major events in the country to attain the zero crime incidents.”The relation that we are proudly hosting APEC for the second time in 20 years and the police tasked that only to provide force and resources but leadership and experience as well to the national joint task group and we will continue to abide the Presidential directive zero incident during the major international event,” he noted.Marquez added that they also now preparing for security on 2016 elections as they will have a meeting between the AFP and the Commission on Elections (Comelec). As I accept these the police too taken the initiative to start preparing for the election next year and we are now in the third preparatory meeting for our partners in Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP) and the Comelec. With this I urge the men and women to lead behind the leadership as I ask each and every one of you now to contribute your share and strengthening the institution,” said Marquez, as the 20th chief of PNP, a member of the PMA Sandigan” Class of 1982.Before he was designated as PNP Director for Operations, Marquez used to be the PRO1 Director in the Ilocos-Pangasinan region where he launched a massive campaign against criminality, particularly against motorcycle-riding criminals, drugs and partisan armed groups.As the Director for Operations, he supervised security operations for recent international events held in the country, most prominently, the Papal Visit and Apostolic Journey of Pope Francis last January, and the series of high level international conferences leading to the 2015 APEC Summit.Marquez will retire on August 2016.Espina led the uniformed and non-uniformed personnel of the PNP in welcoming the appointment by President Benigno Aquino III of Marquez.General Marquez is a hardworking officer with a proven track record in all his previous assignments. If I can only describe [Marquez] in one word, napakasipag. He’s proven his mettle and capability, as well as his competence, in the major activities we’ve faced in the past few months,” Espina said.For his part, Secretary of Interior and Local Government Manuel Mar” Roxas II commended Marquez’s instrumental role in keeping the peace during the 2013 elections, and how that was taken into account in the selection process. Nagtiwala ako sa Presidente na pumili sa pulis ng may proven track record,” the DILG chief said.Roxas also praised Espina’s leadership as PNP OIC, and said Espina rose to answer all the challenges he was faced with. Dahil sa kanyang [Espina] liderato, natawid ito ng PNP at mas malakas at matibay ang PNP sa ngayon,” he said.Espina is set to retire from service on Thursday (July 16), at which point the leadership of the PNP will be officially passed on to Marquez in a ceremony to be held in Camp Crame at 10 a.m. (PNA)RMA/CLTC