• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Private armed groups (PAGs) monitored in previous elections in Negros Oriental are nowhere to be found as of this time, an official of the Commission on Elections said yesterday.
Comelec Negros Island Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano noted that if there is occurrence of violence, it is crime-related, and not related to politics.
He said, however, that the security situation of Negros Oriental will be determined only after the filing of the certificate of candidacy this coming October.
Negros Oriental was placed under Comelec control during the synchronized barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections last year, following the assassination of Gov. Roel Degamo and the death of nine others inside his residential compound in Pamplona, Negros Oriental on March 4, 2023.
Then Third District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was tagged as the alleged mastermind in the killing of Degamo. He repeatedly denied the accusations against him.
Castillano said that it is too early to tell if there will be “election hotspots” in Negros Island, especially the Oriental side.
He said that the 2023 BSKE elections in Negros Oriental was actually peaceful and orderly.
PCol. Ronan Claravall, police provincial director of Negros Oriental, attributed the peaceful atmosphere of the province to the support and cooperation of the public.
Negros Oriental is peaceful, but not during elections, Castillano said, as he noted that it appears there is no closure yet on the political squabble in the province.
He admitted that Negros Oriental remains a concern of the Comelec, which is the main reason why he was instructed by Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia to initially set up a regional office in the province.
Castillano served as the provincial election supervisor of Negros Oriental in the two previous elections. | GB
