• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Unlike in Negros Oriental, there will be no curfew in Negros Occidental during the conduct of the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 30, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said yesterday.
A provincewide curfew will be imposed by the Central Visayas Regional Joint Security Coordinating Center for NegOrenses, from 10 p.m. on Saturday (Oct. 28) to 4 a.m. on Sunday (Oct. 29), and again from 10 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 29) to 4 a.m. on Monday (Oct. 30), which is the election day.
Negros Oriental has been placed under the Commission on Elections (Comelec) control due to the spate of violent incidents in the past several months, including the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo.
While there is no curfew in Negros Occidental, Ananoria said they will impose the liquor ban on Oct. 29.
Negros Occidental has 51 barangays categorized as election areas of concern, of which three have been placed under areas of grave concern or red category.
Ananoria said the three villages under the red category have not been placed under Comelec control, but the military and police have tightened their monitoring in these areas to discourage those planning to disrupt the polls, and to keep the peace between the rival political parties. | GB
