PHILIPPINE Coast Guard (PCG) Negros Occidental commander Captain Ludovico Librilla confirmed over the weekend that the PCG Southern Visayas District has been deactivated.

Librilla said the PCG Southern Visayas District is the only agency that has not returned to its mother region when President Rodrigo Duterte dissolved the Negros Island Region (NIR) in August 2017.

Librilla also sighted a problem in regard to the Commission on Audit, as it is unclear which region the PCG stations under the district belong to due to the dissolution of the NIR.

Because of this, the PCG had decided to temporarily deactivate the district.

The deactivation came into effect on February 8, 2021, during a turnover ceremony held in Cebu City.

With the deactivation of the southern Visayas district, Librilla said the PCG Stations in Negros Oriental and Siquijor island returned to their mother unit which is the PCG District Central Visayas, while PCG-Negros Occidental was placed under PCG Western Visayas District.

He further noted the deactivation could only be temporary and that the PCG Southern Visayas District could be reactivated again anytime once the issue with COA has been resolved.