https://www.scmp.com/rss/522062/feed The latest news and top stories on Nicolas Torre III. He assumed leadership of the Philippine National Police on 2 June 2025, becoming the first Chief to graduate from the Philippine National Police Academy. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, he previously headed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and the Davao Regional Police Office. His notable accomplishments include leading the arrests of former President Rodrigo Duterte and Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Raissa Robles Raissa Robles The youngest son of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has filed criminal charges against four cabinet secretaries and several senior officials, accusing them of “kidnapping” his father and spiriting him to The Hague to face crimes against humanity charges before the International Criminal Court. But legal scholars and political insiders contend the case is a thinly veiled attempt by the Duterte camp to derail the appointment of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla as the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325870/dutertes-son-files-kidnapping-charges-against-philippine-officials-save-vp-sara?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3325870/dutertes-son-files-kidnapping-charges-against-philippine-officials-save-vp-sara?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 10:30:26 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles A controversy over an alleged overpriced firearms deal has intensified in the Philippines, with insiders claiming that national police chief Nicolas Torre III was removed from his post for rejecting a proposed procurement of 80,000 assault rifles – a transaction some believe was padded by billions of pesos. While officials framed Torre’s dismissal as an administrative matter, multiple sources told This Week in Asia he was sacked for rejecting the “overpriced” 8 billion Philippine peso (US$140... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324564/was-philippine-police-chief-sacked-rejecting-us140-million-overpriced-gun-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324564/was-philippine-police-chief-sacked-rejecting-us140-million-overpriced-gun-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:03:53 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr has dismissed national police chief Nicolas Torre III after just 84 days in the role, following a dispute over authority within the force stemming from his defiance of the National Police Commission. The move ends the brief, high-profile tenure of a police chief who had led headline-grabbing arrests and become a public figure in his own right. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced Torre’s removal in a brief two-paragraph order on Monday evening... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323228/champion-shortest-serving-philippine-police-chief-sacked-after-just-84-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3323228/champion-shortest-serving-philippine-police-chief-sacked-after-just-84-days?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Aug 2025 11:42:51 +0000 Alan Robles Alan Robles Philippine National Police chief General Nicolas Torre III has accepted a challenge to a fist-fight from the son of former president Rodrigo Duterte, proposing that the clash be held this weekend as a charity event to raise funds for typhoon and flood victims. The dramatic exchange, which has captivated Filipinos online, is the latest escalation in an increasingly personal feud between the Duterte family and the country’s top police officer. Tensions have simmered since Torre oversaw the March... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319461/dutertes-son-challenges-philippine-police-chief-fist-fight-perfect-says-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3319461/dutertes-son-challenges-philippine-police-chief-fist-fight-perfect-says-general?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:00:27 +0000 Raissa Robles Raissa Robles Three sacks weighted with sandbags recovered from the depths of a Philippine volcanic crater lake have added a dramatic new twist to the chilling case of at least 34 missing cock fighters, bolstering claims by a whistle-blower that the killings were orchestrated by a gambling tycoon with powerful political and police connections. The first sack, pulled from the murky waters of Taal Lake on Thursday, contained charred bones, according to the Department of Justice. Forensic tests have yet to... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3317943/philippine-cock-fighters-deaths-duterte-drug-war-sack-bones-mark-mounting-mystery?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:00:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Search teams arrived on Thursday at a lake south of the Philippine capital of Manila to look for dozens of cock fighters allegedly murdered by rogue police, the Department of Justice said. Fifteen police officers are under investigation over a spate of mysterious disappearances in 2022 in the country’s huge cock-fighting industry. The case erupted back into the public consciousness last month with the televised appearance of a witness claiming to know where bodies had been submerged in Lake... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317646/philippine-search-teams-scour-lake-taal-missing-cock-fighters-typhoon-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317646/philippine-search-teams-scour-lake-taal-missing-cock-fighters-typhoon-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jul 2025 04:49:43 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Fifteen police officers have been taken into custody and are being investigated for their alleged role in the abductions and feared killings of at least 34 cock fighters, the Philippine police chief said on Monday. The missing people were accused of cheating in the hugely popular sport, with their bodies reportedly dumped in a scenic lake with a restive volcano. The victims went missing around 2021 and 2022, mostly while on their way to or from cockfighting arenas dotting the main northern... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317252/philippine-police-detain-15-its-own-officers-missing-cock-fighters-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3317252/philippine-police-detain-15-its-own-officers-missing-cock-fighters-case?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 10:27:48 +0000