• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Oriental is being eyed by the Commission on Elections for inclusion in its watchlist areas in line with the 2025 midterm elections.
Comelec Negros Island Region Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said on Monday, Oct. 7, that the entire province may be included in the election watch list areas because it has a history of being placed under Comelec control.
He noted that the purpose of classification is for them to make a security plan.
“We will know where to focus and augment our security forces,” he added.
Among the high profile candidates in Negros Oriental is Pryde Henry Teves who filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for governor under the Liberal Party.
His brother, expelled Third District Rep. Arnolfo Teves, was linked to the assassination of the late Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others on March 4, 2023.
The Anti-Terrorism Council designated both brothers as well as 11 others as terrorists in July last year.
In 2022, Teves served as governor for three months before he was unseated, after the Comelec annulled his proclamation, following a recount that favored Degamo.
Several months after, Degamo was assassinated inside his residential compound in Pamplona town.
During the 2023 barangay elections, Negros Oriental was placed under Comelec control, but no single election-related violent incident was reported in the province during the election period.
Castillano enlisted the help of the governors of Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, which comprises the NIR, to push for the creation of Police Regional Office-NIR to ensure smooth coordination among the law enforcement bodies and the Comelec for the 2025 elections.
He said that he also asked the assistance of Comelec Chairman George Garcia, stressing that it is difficult for them to manage the 2025 elections if there is no Regional Joint Security Control Center, which is composed of the Comelec, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine Coast Guard.
On his assessment of the first six days of the filing of COCs, Castilllano said that “security wise, we are okay”.
Castillano said that he coordinated with the Department of Energy, asking to postpone their preventive maintenance works to non-office hours as the Comelec has been confronted with problems on encoding of the candidates’ profiles due to power interruption.
The election period is set from Jan. 12 to June 11, 2025. | GB
