About 3,250 police officers assigned at the Police Regional Office 6 in Western Visayas are up for transfer to the Negros Island Region.
This is equivalent to 25 percent of the entire strength of the 13,000 strong police force of PRO6, according to PBrig. Gen. Jack Wanky, regional police director of Western Visayas.
Wanky disclosed that the 3,250 police officers are presently serving at the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office and the Bacolod City Police Office.
“Probably its [service transfer] impact is on the management. We will be unburdened as far as our administration of PNP personnel is concerned because there will be another regional office in NIR,” Wanky said.
However, it was not known yet how many police officers from Region 7 will also be transferred to NIR, as of this time.
Prior to the creation of NIR, the Negros Oriental and Siquijor Police Provincial Offices were under supervision of PRO 7.
The Police Regional Office 18, which supervised NOCPPO, NORPPO, and Bacolod City, was activated in 2015, following the creation of NIR, through an executive order issued by the late President Benigno Aquino III.
But NIR was abolished by his successor, Rodrigo Duterte, in 2018. (Gilbert Bayoran via The Visayan Daily Star with PNA reports)