PNP spokesperson named new Western Visayas police chief

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Police Brigadier General Randulf Tuaño, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police, has been designated chief of the PNP Western Visayas.

Tuaño’s appointment is contained in General Orders No. NHQ-GO-DES-2026-2708 dated May 20, 2026.

He will replace Brigadier General Josefino Ligan effective May 22.

A native of Bulacan, the 53-year-old Tuaño is a member of Philippine National Police Academy Class 1995.

Ligan, meanwhile, was designated deputy chief of the Directorate for Operations.

Ligan was designated PRO-6 chief on June 19, 2025.

A member of PNPA Class 1996, Ligan is considered one of the youngest members of his batch at 50 years old.

Asked about the reason behind the reshuffling, PRO-6 spokesperson Major Lailyn Sencil said it was simply part of a regular administrative process.

She added that the move is also considered a career advancement for Ligan.

The same PNP order covering the two officers also contained the relief and reassignment of five other senior officers.

These include Brigadier General Arnold Ardiente, Police Regional Office 12 director, who was designated officer-in-charge of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence; Brigadier General Edwin Balles of the PNP Directorate for Intelligence, now acting director of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group; Brigadier General Alan Manibog of the PNP Directorate for Operations, who will replace Ardiente as PRO-12 chief; Colonel Allen Rae Figuracion of PRO-2, designated officer-in-charge of the PNP Public Information Office; and Colonel Reynaldo Pasiwen of the Civil Security Group, named executive officer of the Directorate for Intelligence.

The PNP Western Visayas, formally Police Regional Office 6, oversees police operations across the six provinces of the region, including Iloilo, where the incoming and outgoing chiefs’ handover takes effect.