Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. has reminded police officers, including those active as online content creators, to remain politically neutral and focus on their primary duty of protecting the public amid rising political tensions.
In a weekend news release, Nartatez emphasized that law enforcers must not meddle in political affairs. He echoed standing directives from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, urging personnel to uphold professionalism by exercising discipline and restraint on social media.
The PNP chief noted that intense political debates among lawmakers and online commentators have placed police conduct under tighter public scrutiny.
“We have no business involving ourselves in politics. We do not have that privilege, that is not part of our mandate. Let us focus on what we are trained for and what the Filipino people expect us to do: Enforce the law and maintain peace and order,” Nartatez said.
While acknowledging that officers hold individual beliefs, Nartatez stressed that publicly expressing political opinions risks dragging the entire institution into partisan disputes. Additionally, he reminded citizens to be cautious and responsible when consuming online information.
The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) previously warned against the spread of misinformation and unverified content that could mislead the public or fuel confusion during this period of political conflict.