Quezon City has abolished its Task Force Disiplina with effect from Tuesday, 13 October, a day after one of its enforcers allegedly killed three teenagers. All members have been ordered back to their parent unit, the Department of Public Order and Safety, and the city said no operations or patrols are now authorised under the task force’s name. The decision ends the unit’s role in enforcing city rules on the streets.
The victims were aged 15, 18 and 19 and were killed on Monday. The suspect, a 38-year-old man identified by authorities only as “Vin”, was allegedly drunk at the time of the attack. Police arrested him during follow-up operations, and he now faces three counts of murder before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office. The killings prompted the city to act within a day, shutting down the unit to which the suspect belonged.
The city government is also tightening the rules for anyone who wants to remain with the public order department. Former task force members will have to pass background checks, neuropsychological examinations and drug tests, and must submit clearances from both the National Bureau of Investigation and the police. City Hall said there would be no exemptions from these requirements for any member. The checks are intended to screen out anyone unfit to serve before personnel are allowed back on the streets in any enforcement role.
Officials also addressed questions over how the suspect came to be armed. The city said no firearms had been issued to task force members, and that among its personnel and force multipliers only police officers are allowed to carry guns. Mayor Joy Belmonte has told the Quezon City Police District to step up its campaign against illegal firearms across the city. The order puts the focus on unlicensed weapons, since the city maintains that the suspect could not have received a gun through the task force.
City Hall has asked residents to report any uniformed task force members who are still seen patrolling their barangays by calling Helpline 122. The case against the suspect will proceed through the city prosecutor’s office, while the remaining personnel go through the new screening process before they can return to duty with the public order department. For now, the city has made clear that anyone wearing the task force uniform and patrolling the streets is acting without authority.
