ILOILO City – In a historic first for the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), 29 police personnel from Western Visayas were deployed to Basilan to serve as Special Electoral Board members in the recently concluded Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections — marking the first-ever cross-regional augmentation for electoral duty by the region’s police force.
The returning officers received a hero’s welcome at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City last week, led by PRO-6 regional director Police Brigadier General Jack L. Wanky.
“We gave them a hero’s welcome here at PRO-6 because their sacrifices and dedication shown as Special Action Volunteers during the elections in PRO-BARMM were laudable,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Arnel Solis, PRO-6 spokesperson.
Drawn from various Provincial and City Police Offices across Western Visayas, the 29 officers were deployed to Basilan for the May 2025 parliamentary elections in BARMM. Their assignment went smoothly, with no reports of election-related violence.
“According to them, the area was peaceful — that’s because there were many government forces present like the Philippine National Police and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Solis added.
General Wanky earlier emphasized that the deployment was both a privilege and a responsibility.
“This is the first in history that PRO-6 sent augmentation to another region for elections. We understand the situation and importance of our police service to ensure the success of the electoral process,” he said./PN
