PRO-NIR promotes three officers to lieutenant colonel

BACOLOD CITY — The Police Regional Office Negros Island Region formally promoted three officers to the rank of police lieutenant colonel during simultaneous oath-taking and donning ceremonies in Bacolod City on Sept. 11, 2026.

The ceremony was held at Kanlaon Hall inside Camp Alfredo M. Montelibano Sr. in Barangay Estefania as part of the Third Quarter CY 2026 PLTCOL Continuous Promotion Program.

PRO NIR Regional Director Police Brigadier Gen. Rudecindo L. Reales led the ceremony as guest of honor and speaker.

Members of the command group, regional staff, personal staff, families of the newly promoted officers, and other police personnel attended the event.

The three officers promoted were Police Lt. Colonel Jun Ray S. Batadlan, assistant chief of the Regional Personnel and Records Management Division; Lt. Colonels Robelito D. Mariano, chief of the Provincial Plans and Programs Unit of the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office; and Lt. Colonel Aireen C. Sing Benco, assistant chief of the Regional Comptrollership Division.

PRO NIR said the promotions recognized the officers’ professional growth, qualifications, performance, and accomplishments while placing them under greater expectations and broader leadership responsibilities.

The regional police office said advancement in rank also carries the responsibility to lead by example, uphold discipline and integrity, and ensure police services remain responsive to the public.

The newly promoted officers are expected to maintain high standards of professionalism and accountability as they assume greater authority in their respective assignments.

Reales told the officers that their promotions were not merely recognition of past service, competence, and leadership potential, but also a renewed mandate to lead their personnel and communities.

He stressed that promotion should be viewed as an opportunity to create a greater impact through leadership grounded in firmness, compassion, and accountability.

“Your new ranks must therefore be seen not only on your shoulders but reflected in the quality of your leadership. Leadership is measured not by the number of people who follow your orders, but by the number of people you inspire to do what is right,” PBGEN REALES said.

Reales also urged the newly promoted officers to embody the Philippine National Police’s “Bagong PNP para sa Bagong Pilipinas: Serbisyong Mabilis, Tapat at Nararamdaman” vision through competence, character, and compassion.

He challenged them to raise professional standards, develop their personnel, and produce results that communities can feel.

Reales likewise reminded the officers to wear their new ranks with humility and a stronger commitment to meaningful leadership and public service.

PRO NIR said the ceremony served both as recognition of professional achievement and as a reminder of the heavier obligations that accompany higher rank.

With their promotions, Batadlan, Mariano, and Sing Benco are expected to contribute more significantly to the PNP’s mandate of maintaining peace and order, preventing and solving crimes, protecting communities, and delivering effective police services.

PRO NIR said it remains committed to developing competent, disciplined, and principled leaders capable of responding to the evolving demands of policing across the Negros Island Region.

The regional police office said merit-based career advancement and strong professional standards are part of its efforts to build a police organization that can deliver “Bagong PNP para sa Bagong Pilipinas: Serbisyong Mabilis, Tapat, at Nararamdaman.”