THE Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) deployed a total of 300 personnel to augment security operations for the Dinagyang Festival 2026 in Iloilo City.
The send-off ceremony, led by PRO-NIR director Brigadier General Arnold Thomas Ibay, was held on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) Grandstand, Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr., Barangay, Estefania, Bacolod City.
Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-NIR Public Information Office chief, said the police personnel were deployed as augmentation forces to strengthen the security operations of Police Regional Office-Western Visayas.
Of 300 personnel, 63 personnel from Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), 69 personnel from Nocppo, 65 personnel from Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB), and 100 newly graduated personnel from Field Training Program (FTP) to be downloaded to PRO-NIR.
Malong said the deployed forces will be on duty from January 22 to 26, 2026, in support of intensified security measures for the Dinagyang Festival.
Ibay also said that the augmentation is not only intended to strengthen security but also serves as an expression of PRO-NIR’s sincere gratitude to PRO Western Visayas, reciprocating the support that PRO Western Visayas extended during the previous Masskara Festival.
Ibay reminded the deployed personnel to prioritize their personal safety while performing their duties and to ensure the safety and security of the celebration.
While full commitment is expected in maintaining peace and order throughout the festival, Ibay said that every officer must return safe and sound, underscoring that the protection of their own lives is as important as safeguarding the public.
"Adequate manpower, strategic deployment, and continuous monitoring remain firmly in place to ensure that peace and order in the region are robust, stable, and uninterrupted," he said.
The send-off ceremony emphasized the readiness, discipline, and professionalism of the troops, who were reminded to strictly adhere to standard operating procedures, respect human rights, and uphold the principles of people-centered policing while carrying out their mission.
"Through this strategic augmentation, PRO-NIR reaffirms its steadfast commitment to inter-regional cooperation and the implementation of proactive, comprehensive security measures, ensuring the safety of the public, the protection of property, and the orderly conduct of major cultural and tourism-related events, while maintaining readiness to respond to any eventuality that may arise," Ibay said.
PRO-NIR assured the public that the deployment of personnel to support Dinagyang Festival 2026 security operations will not in any way hamper or compromise security coverage across the Negros Island Region. (MAP)