Manila, April 9 -- Targeting minor violations like public drinking and violating curfew hours has become a central strategy in the Philippine National Police's (PNP) "Safer Cities" initiative, its chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. said Thursday.

PNP data showed that 24,881 ordinance violators across Metro Manila were apprehended in the first two days of the Safer Cities initiative from April 6 to 7.

"With the more visible presence of our personnel on the ground, we are sending a strong message of our active role in crime prevention and instilling discipline. The goal is clear and simple: to make every street and every community safe for everybody," Nartatez said in a statement.

The majority of offenses involved public drinking a...