ILOILO City – The establishment of the Negros Island Police Regional Office (NIPRO) will result in the transfer of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) and Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) from Western Visayas’ Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6).
But the impact on PRO-6 operations is expected to be minimal, according to Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, the PRO-6 spokesperson.
The changes would be primarily administrative, involving the reassignment of personnel, with little disruption to current operations, he explained.
In addition to the transfer of BCPO and NOPPO, part of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion 6 (RMFB-6) may also be reassigned to support Negros Island Region’s (NIR) regional mobile unit, though the exact number of personnel involved is still to be determined.
PRO-6 has already identified personnel from Panay Island who are currently stationed in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental and vice versa. Solis explained that, if necessary, personnel will be reassigned between Panay and Negros to ensure smooth operations.
Since the BCPO and NOPPO are established units with stable leadership and organizational structures, Solis anticipates a seamless transition.
“It’s just a matter of officially moving them under the new regional office,” he added.
The first police regional director of NIR is expected to be appointed by the national police headquarters, with the position requiring the rank of Police Brigadier General.
But while the leadership of the NIR is yet to be announced, Solis noted that the current PRO-6 Regional Director, Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky, remains in place.
As the NIR Police Regional Office prepares for full activation, the PRO-6 is focused on ensuring a smooth personnel reassignment process to maintain operational stability.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed into law the Negros Island Region Act on June 13, 2024, creating a new administrative region comprising the provinces of Negros Occidental, including the highly-urbanized Bacolod City, Negros Oriental and Siquijor.
The NIR Act separates Negros Occidental and Bacolod City from Region 6, and Negros Oriental and Siquijor from Region 7.
The formation of the new region necessitates the creation of regional offices of national government agencies for NIR, including a new regional office of the Philippine National Police./PN
