By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the status of Senior Supt. Jack Wanky, acting director of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), remains in “status quo” despite the scheduled retirement of Chief Supt. Renato Gumban, director of Police Regional Office-18 (PRO-18), set on May 21.
Last month, Leonardia disclosed that Gumban submitted to him the list of recommendees to be the next city director of BCPO.
There were five names in the list, and one of which was Wanky, Leonardia said. He did not disclose the names of the four other officials, however.
Leonardia said, in the next few days, he will talk to Gumban and consult him again about Wanky.
“Considering the period of time we were together, I would like to fortify my impression and thinking of Wanky, with proper consultations and guidance from Gumban,” Leonardia said in the vernacular.
He said, when he had talked with Gumban and Wanky, he (Leonardia) emphasized to them to give priority on the campaign against illegal drugs because Bacolod has the biggest population in all of the local government units in the whole of Negros Island Region (NIR).
When the Oplan Tokhang was implemented, it was learned that all barangays of Bacolod were affected by drugs.
“So I would like to see improvements, as I reiterated to Wanky that it will be part of my evaluation on him to guide me in my decision,” Leonardia stressed.
He (Wanky) will remain in status quo, as what I have told Gumban, the mayor said.
Leonardia, when asked by the media about the designation of Wanky as of now being an acting director, he said it does not matter to him if he (Wanky) is an officer-in-charge or an acting, it is still the same. He pointed out that what is important is the performance.
He added he received an initial, but still, “unofficial” report that five barangays of Bacolod City were classified as drug free barangays.
But the mayor said he is waiting for the official report from the BCPO for they have not yet released any official report on this.
Watchmen Daily Journal also tried to reach Wanky for comment, but he has not yet replied as of press time./WDJ