Former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III clarified that his attendance at a Liberal Party (LP) event was purely to express support for anti-corruption advocacy, not for partisan politics.
In an interview, Torre said he was invited by a friend from Masbate—someone he had previously helped during a typhoon—to attend the LP’s “Kung Walang Korap, Walang Mahirap” fellowship event held last Friday. The gathering echoed the slogan popularized during the late President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s administration.
“First of all, I cannot be a member of any political party because I am an active police officer. So we’re clear on that. I was invited by friends […] I was able to help them when cyclones struck Masbate, their barangay was one of the hard-hit areas,” Torre explained.
He added that his attendance was motivated by goodwill and support for the anti-corruption message of the event.
“We still have proceeds from our foundation, they staged a fund-raising event, I went to help them there in Masbate, and she invited me, she said ‘hey we have an event about having no poor Filipinos if there is no corruption… I said I will attend and watch,’” he said.
Torre emphasized that the fight against corruption transcends political affiliations, underscoring that it is a shared national responsibility rather than a partisan cause.
“I think the fight against corruption should transcend political lines. That fight should not be mixed with or defined by politics because every Filipino is affected. First of all, corruption is against the law […] so whatever your color, whatever your belief is, we should have one goal,” he added.