• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Negros Oriental is likely to be categorized as an election area of concern by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the May 12 national and local polls.
Comelec-Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castillano said on Friday (Jan. 10) that Negros Oriental will not be included in the green category or “areas with no security concern” because of election-related incidents and intense political rivalries in the past years.
Negros Oriental may likely be placed under the yellow or orange category.
An area placed under yellow category has history of election-related incidents while an area under orange category has serious armed threats.
Red category constitutes serious armed threats and potential Comelec control, according to the Philippine National Police.
Negros Oriental was placed under the Comelec control during the October 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections, following the assassination of then Governor Roel Degamo at his residential compound in Pamplona town on March 4 that year.
The attack, which was reported politically motivated, also claimed the lives of nine others and injured 17 persons.
The Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center (RJSCC) for Negros Island Region is set for activation Saturday (Jan. 11), a day before the start of the election period.
Castillano said the recommendations of the RJSCC on specific poll hotspots will be forwarded to the Comelec committee on gun ban and security concerns for final approval.
In the recent Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Center (PJSCC) meeting in Dumaguete City, the police reported that it has not monitored any existence of private armed groups in Negros Oriental.
Castillano, however, instructed the PJSCC to identify, if there are areas in the province, which may have intense political rivalries.
He said that Negros Occidental, based on the initial recommendation of its PJSCC, remains under the green category.
He also reminded politicians that bodyguards will only be allowed for congressmen and governors.
From mayors down to other positions, they have to secure an exemption from the Comelec, Castillano said. | GB
