The Philippine Constabulary (PC) Metropolitan Command or MetroCom ( es, Comando Metropolitana de la Constabularia Filipina, COMMET) was created pursuant to Executive Order of
President
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* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martia ...
on 14 July 1967 to supplement police forces within the
Greater Manila Area
The Greater Manila Area is the contiguous urbanization region surrounding the Metropolitan Manila area. This built-up zone includes Metro Manila and the neighboring provinces of Bulacan to the north, Cavite and Laguna to the south, and Riz ...
and combat all forms of criminal activity.
Establishment and mission
In the late 1960s, mobile patrol coverage of the metropolitan
Manila
Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital city, capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is Cities of the Philippines#Independent cities, highly urbanize ...
area was considered inadequate due to increasing crime which strained the capabilities of the local police forces. On 14 July 1967, President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martia ...
directed the organization of a special force to be known as the PC Metropolitan Command (MetroCom). It was to operate in the
City of Manila,
Quezon City
Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 2,960,048 people. It was foun ...
,
Caloocan
Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan ( fil, Lungsod ng Caloocan; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population ...
and
Pasay
Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 440,656 people.
Due to its location j ...
, and in the municipalities of
Las Piñas
Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2 ...
,
Malabon
Malabon, officially the City of Malabon ( fil, Lungsod ng Malabon), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 380,522 people.
Located just nort ...
,
Marikina
Marikina (), officially the City of Marikina ( fil, Lungsod ng Marikina), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 456,159 people.
It is loca ...
,
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentratio ...
,
Mandaluyong
Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 425,758 people.
Lo ...
,
Navotas
Navotas, officially the City of Navotas ( fil, Lungsod ng Navotas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 247,543 people.
It is known as t ...
,
Parañaque
Parañaque, officially the City of Parañaque ( fil, Lungsod ng Parañaque, ), is a first class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 689,992 people.
It is ...
,
Pasig
Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...
,
Pateros
Pateros, officially the Municipality of Pateros ( tgl, Bayan ng Pateros), is the lone municipality of Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 63,643 people.
This municipality is famous for its duck-rai ...
,
San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to:
Places Argentina
* San Juan Province, Argentina
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, and
Taguig
Taguig (), officially the City of Taguig ( fil, Lungsod ng Taguig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 886,722 people. Located in the northwestern shores of ...
.
As crime continued to increase and become more severe in the greater Manila area, and smuggling and
illegal fishing
Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries, and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Illegal fishing takes p ...
in
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
became rampant, President Marcos issued Executive Order 120 on 16 February 1968 which expanded MetroCom into a Metropolitan Area Command (MAC). MetroCom proved to be an efficient force supporting the municipal and city police forces in the Manila area.
On 8 July 1974, President Marcos issued Presidential Decree No. 421, making MetroCom the basis for a regional police command for the future
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
region. All local police departments within the capital area were joined under national government control as the Metropolitan Police Force (MPF) and overseen by the commander of MetroCom. On 8 August 8 1975, Presidential Decree 765 was issued to integrate the Philippine Constabulary with the
Integrated National Police
The Integrated National Police (INP) (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Pinagsamang Pulisyáng Pambansà'', ''PPP''; Spanish language, Spanish:''Policía Nacional Conjunto'', ''PNC'') was the municipal police force for the Cities of the Philippines, ...
(INP) as a renewed service branch of the
Armed Forces
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
, not just for national defense but for the protection of public security and order. With this act, MetroCom and MPF were united under joint command. By November 1975, with the formal designation of the National Capital Region, MetroCom was extended to cover what was then the municipality of
Valenzuela.
Dissolution and replacement
Following the
People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
in 1986, the PC-INP was replaced by the
Philippine National Police
The Philippine National Police ( fil, Pambansang Pulisya ng Pilipinas, acronymed as PNP) is the armed national police force in the Philippines. Its national headquarters is located at Camp Crame in Bagong Lipunan ng Crame, Quezon City. Current ...
(PNP) by an act of
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
in 1991. From 1986 to 1991, in line with the democratization of the police forces, MetroCom was renamed the PC Capital Region Command (PCCAPCOM, Spanish:''Comando del Región Capital de la Constabularia Filipina'', COMRECAP-CF). In 1992, it was again renamed the PNP Capital Region Command (PNPCAPCOM, ''Comando del Región Capital de la Polícia Nacional''), the basis of the current
National Capital Region Police Office.
Equipment
PC METROCOM use the Toyota Crown, the Datsun 2000 and the Mini-Moke.
Sources
*The Constable, July 1971 Edition
References
{{Law enforcement in the Philippines
Law enforcement in Metro Manila
History of Metro Manila