ILOILO – The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) admits that meeting the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) ambitious five-minute response time across the province remains a tall order due to terrain difficulties, remote barangays, and limited access routes.
“We can meet the target as long as the scenario is within a reasonable area,” said Police Major Rolando Araño, IPPO spokesperson. “But take for example Janiuay. If we’re going to respond to an incident in a mountainous barangay, it’s impossible to make it in five minutes. That’s our biggest challenge.”
While committed to achieving the PNP reform agenda under General Nicolas Torre III, the IPPO emphasized the need to calibrate expectations, especially in rural settings with geographic and logistical constraints.
“We share the same vision with General Torre. We support the five-minute response initiative and are doing our part to adapt this policy to the unique geographic and security challenges of Iloilo Province,” Araño said.
To enhance police responsiveness, IPPO has been holding nightly simulation exercises (SIMEX), conducted randomly in various municipalities to test and improve response capabilities. Among the latest drills were in the municipal police stations of Tigbauan, Leon, and Dingle.
“We conduct simulation exercises every night, these aren’t scheduled but done randomly,” Araño noted. “Almost all towns in the province have already undergone SIMEX focused on testing their five-minute response capabilities.”
However, Araño acknowledged that the five-minute target is only feasible in areas close to town centers or police stations. For far-flung locations, even the national headquarters recognizes the limitations.
“This has already been recognized by national headquarters,” he said. “They know there are places we just cannot reach within that timeframe.”
To address the gap, IPPO is doubling down on community partnerships — particularly with barangay officials and tanods who act as de facto first responders in hard-to-reach areas.
“Barangay tanods are a big help, which is why we are focused on training them through the Tanod Academy,” said Araño. “They are the first ones to respond in their areas, especially when police need time to arrive.”
These community-based responders provide crucial preliminary support and help ensure that law enforcement presence — while not always immediate — remains effective and visible even in the province’s most remote corners.
With 42 municipalities, one component city, and hundreds of barangays scattered across mountains, coasts, and interior settlements, Iloilo’s topography poses a unique challenge to emergency response. But through continued drills, local collaboration, and targeted strategies, IPPO hopes to get closer to that five-minute mark./PN
