Newly installed Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III on Monday clarified that there is no standing plan to immediately relieve more police officers over their failure to meet the five-minute response time directive, but warned that poor performance would lead to removal.

“There are no plans to relieve anyone yet; that’s not the plan right now. But in their next assignments, if they still can’t deliver, we will relieve them,” Torre told reporters in an interview.

Torre said the strict enforcement of the five-minute policy is in compliance with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s order to the PNP to respond faster to crimes and emergencies.

“The President ordered us to respond within five minutes — and I don’t intend to fail. We’ve already proven it’s possible, even faster than that,” he said, citing his stint at the Quezon City Police District where this standard was achieved.

He stressed that accountability starts with leadership on the ground.

“It’s now up to the commanders. If they can’t keep up or comply, I will find commanders who can deliver on that promise,” Torre said.

8 Metro chiefs sacked

Meanwhile, Torre confirmed that eight police chiefs in Metro Manila have been relieved for failing to meet the response time.

“We’ve relieved eight and more may follow. Just yesterday, I was in Central Visayas, in Iloilo, and we issued warnings to the provincial directors,” Torre said in a separate interview after the flag-raising ceremony at the Quezon City Hall.

Relieved were the police chiefs of Caloocan, Navotas, Valenzuela, Mandaluyong, Marikina, San Juan, Parañaque and Makati.

The move is part of the PNP’s broader effort to revamp the leadership of police stations that fail to meet operational targets, particularly those that directly affect public safety.

Details about the relieved officials, including their ranks and specific violations, were not disclosed. Torre said their removal came after they repeatedly failed the five-minute response test, a standard to measure how quickly police can respond to crimes and emergencies reported on emergency hotlines or while they are on patrol.