• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections will initially establish its Negros Island Region (NIR) regional office in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, and not in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.
According to NIR Comelec regional director Lionel Marco Castellano, a resolution issued by the Comelec en banc stated that the NIR Comelec regional office would be “preferably in Dumaguete City”.
Violent election-related incidents occurred in Negros Oriental in previous years.
Castellano said that a satellite office will also be established in Bacolod City and it will be headed by Regional Elections Attorney Cindy Ballesteros.
Castellano also said that he was ordered by Comelec chairman George Garcia to give special attention to Negros Oriental, because of peace and security concerns in the previous elections.
Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others were all killed inside his residential compound in Pamplona, Negros Oriental, on March 4, 2023.
Negros Oriental 3rd district Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. was linked to the assassination of Degamo.
The Comelec, however, noted that the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Negros Oriental was the most peaceful elections in the province without any untoward election related violence, Castillano said. | GB
