In a significant move to bolster local efforts, the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas dispatched 200 police officers to Negros Oriental. These officers arrived on Saturday, February 2, 2025, and were officially introduced the following day at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office. The deployment aims to support disaster response operations and assist with election duties.
According to Lt. Stephen Polinar, spokesperson for the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office, the officers reached Camp Fernandez in Sibulan town over the weekend. They were presented to Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan, the director of Police Regional Office-Central Visayas. The group included 100 officers from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion and another 100 from three cities in Cebu province.
Half of these additional police forces are designated for Canlaon City to aid in disaster relief efforts and prepare for a potential Alert Level 4 situation. This level would be triggered by a major eruption of Mt. Kanlaon, necessitating the evacuation of most, if not all, residents of Canlaon City. The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office had specifically requested more police to manage the expected spread of evacuees across the first district’s towns and cities.
The remaining 100 officers will be spread across various police stations and will help man checkpoints set up by the Commission on Elections to maintain peace and order ahead of the May 12 elections. Brig. Gen. Maranan has instructed these officers to increase their visibility on the streets and improve their response times to incidents. Additionally, he has ordered intensified operations targeting private armed groups, illegal drug activities, and criminal gangs.