ILOILO City – A region-wide crackdown by the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has led to the arrest of 599 wanted individuals in Western Visayas in March, sending a message that fugitives can no longer hide from the long arm of the law.
The arrests stemmed from 582 operations conducted across the region, with 102 of the arrested classified as Most Wanted Persons (MWPs) — suspects facing serious criminal charges and long-standing warrants.
The remaining 497 were tagged as Other Wanted Persons (OWPs), most of whom were tracked down through intensified manhunts and inter-agency coordination.
The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) led the campaign with 272 arrests, representing nearly half (45.4%) of all apprehensions.
NOCPPO alone accounted for 34 MWPs and 238 OWPs, marking it as the top-performing unit in the region’s month-long anti-criminality drive.
Here is the breakdown of MWPs arrested:
* NOCPPO – 34
* IPPO (Iloilo Province) – 29
* BCPO (Bacolod City) – 13
* ICPO (Iloilo City) – 9
* AkPPO (Aklan) – 7
* CPPO (Capiz) – 5
* AntPPO (Antique) – 3
* RMFB6 – 2
PRO-6 regional director Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky lauded the coordinated operations and the relentless pursuit by his personnel.
“This achievement reflects the commitment of our personnel and the continued collaboration between law enforcement agencies and the public,” he said.
He further assured the public that the campaign will not slow down.
“We remain steadfast in our mission to bring all fugitives to justice and will continue with our highest efforts until every wanted person is apprehended,” PBGen Wanky declared.
The OWPs were arrested as follows:
* NOCPPO – 238
* IPPO – 62
* ICPO – 51
* AntPPO – 40
* AkPPO – 29
* BCPO – 25
* CPPO – 22
* Guimaras PPO – 15
* RMFB6 – 13
* CIDG-RFU6 – 2
All those arrested have been turned over to the appropriate courts for legal proceedings.
PRO-6 vows to sustain the pressure against lawbreakers as part of its intensified campaign to maintain peace and order across the region./PN
