By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Police Regional Office-18 (PRO-18) spokesperson, Police Senior Inspector Armilyn Vargas, said their office will halt operations on Monday, September 25.

She noted, PRO-18 personnel in Negros Occidental have already been transferred back to PRO-6, while their counterparts in Negros Oriental have transferred back to PRO-7.

The realignment came after President Rodrigo Duterte signed Executive Order No. 38 last month, which effectively dissolved the Negros Island Region (NIR).

According to Vargas, once operations cease, the office will be comprised of finance and logistic departments until the transition is complete.

NIR dissolution was initially considered after the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) quoted the cost of the region at P19 billion./DGB, WDJ