A total of 319 policemen are being deployed in 17 select barangays in Western Visayas, including six in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, for the Revitalized Pulis sa Barangay (RPSB) program of the Philippine National Police.
The RPSB program aims to sustain the gains of the Community Support Program of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Retooled Community Support Program of the local government units, a press release from the police said.
It also aims to prevent the resurgence of insurgency, insulate unaffected communities from the recovery efforts of the communist terrorist group, and to assist the communities address their peculiar concerns and facilitate in availing the basic services of the government, it added.
These personnel, who underwent a 12-day stringent training, will be deployed in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas in 17 select barangays across the region, the press release said.
Iloilo province has four identified barangays in the towns of Igbaras, Lambunao, Maasin, and Tubungan, Bacolod City has four, Capiz province has three in the town of Tapaz, Negros Occidental has two in the component cities of Cadiz and Kabankalan, Libacao town in Aklan province has one, and Sibalom town in Antique had one.
A send-off was held at the PRO-6 Multipurpose Hall in Iloilo City on Friday, May 31, where MGen. Bernard Banac, Director for Police Community Relations of PRO-6, was the guest speaker.
“Our police will serve as facilitators, mentors in the delivery of service in select areas, especially in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas,” Banac added.
PRO-6 Director, BGen. Jack Wanky, said the deployed policemen were vetted from the Regional, Provincial, and City Mobile Forces based on their abilities and capabilities of forging better community relations, the press release said.*