IF GIVEN the chance, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald de la Rosa said he will lobby for the retention of Negros Island Region (NIR) with President Rodrigo Duterte.
De la Rosa, in an interview with VoxPop Bacolod during his visit on June 23, said he is supporting the establishment of the young region as there is a reason why it was created, adding that the Negrenses want Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental as one administrative region.
“Mas madali (It is easier) in terms of security. One-island means one-island defense,” he said.
“If given the chance, I will support. I will defend. I will help lobby with the President,” De la Rosa added.
He said he believes that the Duterte administration is apolitical.
“It doesn’t mean that the region was established by the previous administration, you just have to cut it for the sake of opposing the previous administration. The government isn’t that shallow. There’s a reason why this (NIR) was created. If it is good, we will support it,” the PNP chief said.
Former president Benigno Aquino III signed the executive order (EO) creating NIR, which separated Negros Occidental from Western Visayas, and Negros Oriental from Central Visayas, on May 29, 2015.
De la Rosa pointed out that since there’s no EO abolishing the region yet, “so we have to wait and see.”
Moreover, there’s also no order to revert Negros Occidental police to Police Regional Office in Western Visayas and Negros Oriental police to the regional command in Central Visayas, he said, although the Police Regional Office-NIR is still getting its budget from the two previous regions.
“I hope next year there will be a budget already. So if there’s a budget, it means the situation is stabilized,” De la Rosa added.