MURCIA, Negros Occidental — The municipality of Murcia is emerging as the preferred site for the permanent headquarters of the Police Regional Office–Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR), potentially putting the new regional police command closer to Bacolod City while maintaining strategic access to the interior areas of Negros.
The development was reported by Bombo Radyo Bacolod on September 13, 2026, citing the Philippine National Police and PRO-NIR. The report said the police organization is still waiting for the Deed of Donation covering the proposed property before the transfer of the land to the PNP can be formally completed.
The latest account is consistent with a September 10 report from the Philippine News Agency (PNA), which said PNP chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. told senators that Murcia was considered the more appropriate location after several sites were evaluated.
Seven-hectare site eyed for regional command
According to Nartatez, the proposed Murcia headquarters would occupy approximately seven hectares.
He told the Senate Finance Subcommittee J during deliberations on the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s proposed 2027 budget that several locations had been offered, including areas in northern Negros, Kabankalan, areas near Bacolod and Murcia.
After deliberation, the PNP leadership found Murcia more suitable for the regional command.
The location is strategically positioned east of Bacolod City, giving the future headquarters relatively convenient access to the island’s main urban center while remaining accessible to communities in the interior and central portions of Negros.
The land donation is not yet fully completed
While Murcia has emerged as the preferred location, the headquarters project is not yet at the construction stage.
Bombo Radyo Bacolod reported that PRO-NIR is still waiting for the Deed of Donation and other documentation needed to formally complete the donation of the property to the PNP.
PRO-NIR spokesperson PLTCOL Joem Malong reportedly said the development plan for the site had already been presented, but documents—including the deed—still need to be completed and submitted.
Malong also said several technical requirements must be addressed before construction can proceed, including lot readiness, soil testing and other technical assessments.
The construction process could take three to five years, according to the Bombo Radyo report, because of the number of procedures that must be completed before actual construction begins.
P505 million proposed for the project
The proposed headquarters is also tied to a substantial government investment.
The PNP has identified approximately P505 million in proposed capital outlay for the Negros regional headquarters.
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito asked whether the project could already be implemented next year if Congress approves the proposed funding.
Nartatez replied that the project would be ready for implementation if the necessary budget is approved.
That means the proposed funding could become a major next step for the permanent establishment of PRO-NIR—but approval of the budget alone would not immediately result in a completed headquarters.
Why Murcia matters to the new Negros Island police structure
The establishment of PRO-NIR follows the creation of the Negros Island Region, which brought Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, together with Bacolod City, under a unified regional administrative framework.
The new police regional office is being organized to consolidate police operations previously handled through different regional commands.
PNA reported that PRO-NIR will draw personnel from police regional offices in Western and Central Visayas that previously covered the areas now under the Negros Island Region.
The permanent headquarters is therefore expected to become a major command and coordination center for police operations throughout the region.
Mobile forces planned outside Murcia
The PNP is also looking beyond the headquarters itself.
Nartatez said mobile force units are being planned for Mabinay in Negros Oriental and Sagay City in northern Negros Occidental.
The strategy would allow the regional command to remain in the western-central portion of the island while placing additional police capabilities closer to other strategic areas.
Ejercito noted that such an arrangement could provide a better balance between the western and eastern portions of Negros.
Murcia was not the only location considered
The decision follows months of discussions over where the permanent PRO-NIR headquarters should be located.
Earlier reports showed that several local governments had expressed interest in hosting the regional command.
In June, the Daily Guardian reported that Bacolod City had offered a four-hectare property at the Abada Arao Relocation Site in Barangay Vista Alegre. Bago City, Sagay City and Murcia had also signified their willingness to offer properties for the headquarters.
In 2025, seven possible locations were reportedly being studied, including sites in Kabankalan, Escalante, San Enrique, Murcia and Silay in Negros Occidental, as well as Mabinay and Guihulngan in Negros Oriental.
The latest PNP statement therefore represents a significant narrowing of the choices, with Murcia now identified as the preferred location.
What happens next?
The immediate hurdle is the completion of the land donation documents.
Once the Deed of Donation and other requirements are completed, the project would still have to proceed through the necessary technical, budgetary and construction processes.
For residents of Murcia and the wider Negros Island Region, however, the proposed headquarters could eventually bring a major regional police command closer to the center of the island and reshape how police forces are deployed across Negros.
For now, Murcia has the site. The PNP has a proposed P505-million budget. But one crucial step remains: completing the legal transfer of the land before the headquarters can move from plan to construction.
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