By MA. THERESA LADIAO
The activation of the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) will have minimal effect on the police force in Western Visayas, PRO-6 spokesperson Lt. Colonel Arnel Solis said.
“It won’t significantly affect us since it’s just a matter of transferring Bacolod City Police Office [BCPO] and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office [NOCPPO] to the new region,” Solis said.
The provincial and city police offices in Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor will now fall under PRO-NIR’s supervision.
Solis added that a portion of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion-6 might also be reassigned to NIR to reinforce its regional mobile unit, but the exact number of personnel to be transferred is yet to be determined.
“In case the activation happens, we will begin transferring personnel from Panay to Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, while those from Negros who are originally from Panay will be reassigned back here,” he explained.
Since both BCPO and NOCPPO are already established police units with leadership, personnel and organizational structures in place, the transition is expected to be smooth.
Solis also noted that the first regional director of PRO-NIR will likely be appointed by the PNP national headquarters, as the rank required for the position is police brigadier general.
“Most likely, the police regional director for NIR will come from the national office, considering that our current PRO-6 regional director, Brigadier General Jack Wanky, is already in place,” Solis said.
“As of now, there is still no official announcement regarding who will lead NIR, from the regional director down to the command group and staff,” he added.
The activation of PRO-NIR on March 27, was announced by NOCPPO on Friday, March 14, after the final meeting for the establishment of the regional police force.
Fully prepared
The PRO-6 is fully prepared for the start of the local campaign period on March 28, with security plans already in place as part of its overall preparations for the May 12 midterm elections.
Solis said their security measures for the local campaign period have been integrated into the regional police’s earlier preparations for the national campaign.
“It was included in our previous preparations during the national campaign. This is also part of our overall strategy for the May 12 elections,” Solis said.
He emphasized that PRO-6’s security efforts are being coordinated with the Commission on Elections, the Joint Security Control Center, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
“We are in close coordination and collaboration with them to ensure peace and order during the election period,” he added.
Solis said that provincial and city police offices have already identified their personnel requirements, including areas that need additional security forces.
While PRO-6 may not be able to fully meet the 100 percent personnel requirements requested by local police units, Solis assured that reasonable numbers will be provided to support election security.
He also emphasized that provincial and city police directors must strategize their current personnel deployment to maximize available resources.
“We will only provide additional officers based on our capacity because if we deploy all available forces, we will have no reserves. Despite these limitations, we will plan our deployment carefully to ensure that all areas are covered,” he said.
Solis assured the public that PRO-6 remains committed to ensuring a peaceful and orderly election.
“Our goal is to make sure that our deployment is well-planned so that we can maintain peace and order throughout the election period,” he concluded./MTL, WDJ