• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Some personnel of Area Police Command (APC) of the Philippine National Police, which is for deactivation, might be transferred to the newly created Police Regional Office (PRO) 18 of Negros Island Region (NIR), PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo recently disclosed.
“In the NIR alone, a big number of personnel can be accommodated there, including third level positions such as the regional director, the deputies and the provincial directors. We also have the regional staff. These are positions that should be occupied by third level officers,” Fajardo said.
The PNP has five APCs – Visayas, Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, Eastern Mindanao, and Western Mindanao.
“We have anticipated retirements in the coming weeks, if not months. Definitely, for those generals who will be affected by the deactivation of the APCs, they would be included in the personnel who are projected to fill up some vacancies,” Fajardo said in a press briefing at Camp Crame, Quezon City.
She added at least 158 second level personnel with the rank of lieutenant colonel, down to corporal, and 26 third level officers with the rank of lieutenant general down to colonel were affected by the move.
PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil is set to activate Police Regional Office 18 within the month, several months after the creation of NIR was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
The PRO 18 will supervise the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, Siquijor Police Provincial Office, and the Bacolod City Police Office. It will have its temporary headquarters at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City*