By CESAR JOLITO III
The Police Regional Office in the Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) formally sent off 50 newly trained police officers under the Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay (R-PSB) Program, reinforcing grassroots policing and strengthening police-community partnership across the region.
The send-off ceremony, held yesterday at Kanlaon Hall, Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City’s Barangay Estefania, was led by PRO-NIR director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay.
The activity was attended by Owen de Luna, regional director of the National Police Commission in NIR, along with members of the command group, regional staff, R-PSB participants, and other PRO-NIR officers and personnel.
The 50 police personnel, who successfully completed specialized training, will be deployed to selected barangays across the region to serve as the primary link between the police and local communities.
Personnel from the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office will be assigned to Kabankalan City’s Barangay Oringao; Regional Mobile Force Battalion personnel to Calatrava’s Barangay Marcelo; Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office personnel to Barangays Barras, Mabinay and Tayawan in Bayawan City, Negros Oriental; while Siquijor Police Provincial Office personnel will be deployed to Siquijor’s Barangay Sabang.
In his message, Ibay underscored that the deployment signifies more than the physical presence of police personnel in barangays, describing it as a renewed commitment to service and community partnership.
He said the R-PSB Program embodies the police organization’s resolve to bring law enforcement closer to the people, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas.
Ibay emphasized that through the R-PSB initiative, PRO-NIR aims to build trust, encourage cooperation and address security concerns at the grassroots level using a whole-of-nation and whole-of-community approach.
He reminded the deployed personnel that while they carry the badge of authority, their greater responsibility lies in listening, understanding and serving communities with compassion, integrity and respect for local customs./CJ, WDJ