• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) is sending 310 police personnel from the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) to Negros Oriental for the May 12 national and local elections, NIR Commission on Elections regional director Lionel Marco Castillano said yesterday.
This was after the PRO-7 withdrew its 200 police personnel from Negros Oriental, following the establishment of the NIR, which is now composed of the two Negros provinces and Siquijor.
The decision to deploy 310 BCPO personnel to Negros Occidental was recommended by PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, officer-in-charge of PRO-NIR, and approved by members of the Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center during its meeting on April 28 in Sibulan, Negros Oriental.
Castillano said that BCPO has more than 1,000 policemen, with only a few of them assigned to secure polling areas in the highly-urbanized Bacolod City.
They are scheduled to leave Bacolod City three days before the election, he added.
Except for Guihulngan City and La Libertad town in Negros Oriental, which the Comelec placed under the red category, the 23 other local government units are under the yellow category.
Under the color-coded classification, green indicates areas with no security concerns; yellow refers to areas with a history of political unrest or tension; orange includes areas where armed threats are present; and red marks areas considered critical.
Castillano also reported that the political campaign in the third district of Negros Oriental appeared to be peaceful.
In 2023, a gun attack claimed the lives of then Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others.
The widow of Degamo, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, and Janice Teves Gaston, aunt of siblings then Rep. Arnolfo Teves and gubernatorial candidate Henry Pryde Teves, are vying for the third district congressional post.
Castillano said the word war is in the social media, noting the absence of any untoward incident. | GB
