Eight police chiefs in Metro Manila were relieved of their posts after failing to comply with the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) five-minute emergency response time policy.

PNP Chief General Nicolas Torre III on Monday emphasized the importance of adhering to the standard, which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. directed.

“Pina-relieve ko ang mga chiefs of police na 'yon sapagkat hindi sila maka-cope up or ayaw nilang mag-cope up sa standards (I relieved those chiefs of police because they couldn’t cope with or didn’t want to cope with the standards),” Torre said.

“I explained to them that we will not be able to deliver on the five-minute response time promise as directed by the President if that is the attitude of our officials,” he added.

Earlier this month, Torre vowed that Metro Manila police would respond to emergency 911 calls within five minutes, a commitment he aims to fully implement within a month.

“Sa NCR, five minutes muna. So huwag ninyo na kaming hanapin sa mga presinto sapagkat kami ay nasa inyo nang mga telepono. Dial 911, kami ay darating sa loob ng limang minuto (In NCR, we’re targeting five minutes. So don’t look for us at the stations; we’ll be responding to your calls. Dial 911, and we’ll arrive within five minutes),” he said.

Torre requested one month to implement the policy across the region.