By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

After denying plans to relieve Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) acting director, Police Senior Superintendent Jack Wanky, from his post, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday revealed during a press conference the police chief was being replaced by a member of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).
Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) Deputy Director for Operations, Police Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay, Jr., said PRO-6 director, Police Chief Superintendent Cesar Hawthorne Binag, handed down the order effective yesterday, replacing Wanky with Police Superintendent Roderick Minong.
The outgoing police director will be reassigned to PRO-6, with a specific appointment still pending.
Cambay explained, while Wanky was “performing well,” there was still a “fear of criminality” that he considered to be too serious.
As of late, Bacolod City has been faced with numerous robbery incidents, however, last month, in response to chatter on the internet, Wanky earlier declared, “Bacolod is safe.”
“If there is an agency which can declare a security threat, whether an area is safe or not, it is the PNP (Philippine National Police),” he affirmed.
With regard to the mayor, who previously said of Wanky, “I would like him to continue doing his part,” noted he only received notice of the appointment yesterday morning.
Leonardia also reiterated Cambay’s sentiment, “We are concerned over the fear of crime.”
The new city police chief is a native of the Cordillera Region and a member of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Class of 1993. He was previously commander of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB), based at Camp Aniceto Lacson, Victorias City, Negros Occidental./WDJ