BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City – Police Brigadier General Jack Wanky, the regional director of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), sees police operational improvements in Western Visayas following the creation of the Negros Island Region (NIR).
“The establishment of a separate police regional office for NIR could streamline our management processes (in Western Visayas) and enhance focus on regional specifics,” he said.
Highlighting administrative benefits, Wanky pointed out that the new regional configuration could unburden management responsibilities in the PRO-6.
With Negros Occidental out, the PRO-6 will be left overseeing five provincial police offices in Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, and Guimaras.
Wanky reassured Western Visayans that the transition is backed by previous positive experiences when NIR was temporarily established through an executive order in 2016.
“There won’t be a significant negative impacts as we have already experienced operating under the NIR framework before. The approach was effective, and it enhances police coordination between the two regions,” he said.
Wanky revealed that approximately 20 percent to 25 percent of PRO-6’s personnel have been allocated to Negros Island to support the new regional framework.
“They are well-placed with established provincial command in Negros Occidental and a City Police Office in Bacolod,” Wanky said./PN
