BEING ranked No. 1 nationwide is never a small achievement, especially for a police regional office serving millions of people across Central Luzon.
The Police Regional Office 3 has earned that distinction in the June 2026 Unit Performance Evaluation Rating, posting an impressive 85.27 percent performance rating.
But beyond the number is a bigger story — leadership, discipline and teamwork.
Under PBGen Jess Mendez, PRO3 has been pushing its personnel to stay focused on their mission, improve police operations and remain responsive to the communities they serve.
A regional police office does not become No. 1 through the efforts of its director alone. The rating reflects the combined work of police officers and personnel in the different provinces and cities of Central Luzon.
It also shows what can happen when a police organization moves with one direction and one purpose.
For Mendez, however, the No. 1 ranking should not be treated as a trophy to display and forget. It should be a challenge to maintain the standards that produced it.
After all, the real measure of police performance is not found only in ratings, awards or rankings.
It is seen when a victim gets help quickly, when a crime is prevented, when a wanted person is arrested and when ordinary citizens feel that their police are present and ready to serve.
PRO3 may now be No. 1 nationwide on paper. But the bigger challenge for Mendez and his men is to make sure that the people of Central Luzon can feel why they deserve to be there.
