By CESAR JOLITO III
The Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) has reported significant gains in crime reduction following the adoption of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) five-minute response policy while also intensifying investigations into recent killings in Negros Occidental’s Talisay City and Bacolod City.
“Speed is not merely a tactical advantage. It is a strategic imperative,” PRO-NIR Director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay said yesterday, describing the five-minute response time against crime as “speed as strategy.”
From June 2 to July 31, total crime incidents fell by 146 cases — from 1,834 in 2024 to 1,688 this year, PNP data showed.
The average monthly crime rate also went down from 18.51 to 17.04 percent.
Data also showed index crimes decreased by 13 (from 179 to 166), non-index crimes dropped by 162 (from 1,087 to 925), and eight-focus crimes declined by 12 (from 178 to 166).
Meanwhile, the Public Safety Indicator rose by 26 cases — from 571 to 579 — mostly due to increased vehicular accidents.
Ibay clarified that this uptick reflects higher reporting rates through 911 because of faster police arrival times, not an actual surge in collisions.
He added that PRO-NIR has achieved a 95.14 percent crime clearance efficiency and 85.3 percent crime solution efficiency within the two-month period.
Ongoing cases
The PRO-NIR is also focusing on solving recent cases of lifeless bodies discovered in Talisay and Bacolod.
In Talisay, a Special Investigation Task Group has been formed to fast-track the probe into the deaths of 41-year-old Rodrigo Villaceran, Jr. alias “Kokoy” of San Enrique town, and 48-year-old Mars Relles, of Bacolod’s Barangay Estefania.
Police are backtracking closed-circuit television footage, profiling victims and persons of interest, and studying a possible link between the Talisay cases and a body recently found in Bacolod.
Meanwhile, the body discovered in Purok Lucasan in Bacolod’s Barangay Mandalagan was identified as 38-year-old Jose Jun Codico Jr., alias “Juno,” of the city’s Barangay Bata.
Codico was last seen on August 12, when he told his partner he was meeting someone.
The next day, his body, wearing a white T-shirt and brown shorts, was found with wounds on the head.
A tattoo of the name “Kamel Benitez” on his shoulder confirmed his identity.
The Bacolod City Police Office is conducting follow-up operations to identify suspects and determine the motive.
“The safety and security of our people remain our top priority, and we are committed to bringing swift justice to those responsible,” Ibay stressed.
Disaster preparedness
In anticipation of floods and landslides during the rainy season, PRO-NIR assured the public of its readiness to respond to emergencies.
At least 47 search and rescue teams, composed of 398 trained personnel, are stationed across the region: 31 in Negros Occidental, nine in Negros Oriental, one in Bacolod, four in Siquijor, and two with the Regional Mobile Force Battalion.
Assets ready for deployment include 150 patrol cars, 114 motorcycles, three trucks, one shuttle bus, and rubber boats in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard and local government units.
The PRO-NIR also identified 321 evacuation centers: 30 in Bacolod, 33 in Negros Occidental, 124 in Negros Oriental, and 134 in Siquijor.
About 400 handheld radios are in use to ensure real-time coordination, the same system used for the five-minute response program.
“We maintain close inter-agency coordination with the various agencies and local government units to guarantee swift and effective action during calamities and emergencies,” Ibay said./CJ, WDJ