PRO-6 chief tasked to match, it not exceed, predecessor’s anti-drugs drive achievements

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The new Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 chief, Brigadier General Jack Wanky, faces the formidable task of matching or surpassing the impressive feats of his predecessor in the anti-drug drive.

The record to beat includes 1,630 operations, 2,137 arrests, and the confiscation of over P390 million worth of illegal drugs, all achieved within a span of nearly nine months.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda, Jr. has set the bar high, challenging Wanky to reach, if not exceed, the high standards set by Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor.

“That’s a challenge to the newly-designated regional director (Wanky). He saw the numbers and he’s accepting the challenge,” said Acorda.

In order to accomplish this, Wanky must adopt an approach that intertwines a vigorous anti-drug campaign with robust inter-agency coordination, a strategy that proved successful for Villaflor.

“We want him to also do that and to also get the support of the local government units. That’s what spelled the success of our outgoing RD (Villaflor),” Acorda emphasized.

Under Villaflor’s leadership, the PRO-6’s intense focus on narcotics suppression was a defining aspect of his tenure.

Villaflor himself has credited his hardline stance on crime for the marked reduction in total crime incidents across the region.

As Wanky steps into this new role, he carries forward the mantle of a campaign that has previously yielded significant results in combatting criminality, particularly in the realm of illegal drugs.