The province of Negros Oriental has identified at least nine election “hotspots” or areas of concern, leading to the May 9 national and local polls.
Lawyer Eddie Aba, provincial supervisor of the Commission on Elections, told the media in an interview that the military and the police submitted the potential hotspots based on parameters used for the classification of areas of concern.
“The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are the ones in a position to identify, determine, validate, and confirm whether these areas should be tagged as election hotspots and thus, need additional security and other measures to ensure safe, peaceful, and orderly conduct of the elections,” Aba said in mixed English and Cebuano.
The hotspots were among the security concerns tackled during the Provincial Joint Security Control Center meeting held Saturday afternoon at the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office in Agan-an, Sibulan.
Acting Provincial Police Director Col. Germano Mallari, in a separate interview, said the initial list is made up of towns and cities that belong to the so-called red classification.
“We are using the color coding of green, yellow, orange, and red for election areas of concern that was used in the 2019 elections. Red is the highest classification, with all of the parameters present, such as intense political rivalry and the presence of threat groups like the New People’s Army,” Mallari said.
Mallari refused to identify the nine election hotspots for now, as they are still up for validation, and “the situation might change from time to time”.
Aba, in his closing statement to the attendees of the PJSCC meeting, called for vigilance.
He said while there is still no imminent threat to Negros Oriental, “it is public knowledge that there are positions that are hotly contested”.
The PJSCC convened hours before the official start of the election period at 12:01 a.m. Sunday, also the beginning of the gun ban.
Army officials headed by Brig. Gen. Leonardo Peña, commander of the 302nd Infantry Brigade, police chiefs and other unit commanders, election officers from different towns and cities, and the Diocesan Electoral Board, the citizens arm of the Comelec, represented by its convenor, Msgr. Julius Heruela, attended the meeting.
Meanwhile, a new provincial election supervisor of the Comelec in Negros Oriental has been designated for the May 9 national and local polls.
Lawyer Lionel Castillano, provincial election supervisor of Cebu, assumed his post here effective Jan. 15, replacing lawyer Eddie Aba who was designated the chief Comelec post in Bohol.
Castillano said on Wednesday he will conduct next week an online meeting with the election officers and his staff to update them on new Comelec resolutions and memorandum.
“Most of all, I want to assure them that we could have successful elections if we help each other despite the pandemic. Reminders in the observance of health protocols will also be tackled,” he told the media.
Castillano previously served as provincial election supervisor-designate in Negros Oriental for the 2016 presidential, national, and local elections, and in Siquijor province in 2019 for the mid-term polls.
Two other provincial election supervisors in the Central Visayas region were also designated to other provinces for this year’s electoral exercise.
Lawyer Jerome Brillantes of Siquijor-Comelec will be assigned to Cebu province, while lawyer Eliseo Labaria of Bohol was designated to replace him.
The order for the reshuffling was signed by Comelec Chairperson Sheriff Abas on Jan. 6.
Meanwhile, Aba said they are awaiting the final order for the reshuffling of election officers in the different towns and cities in Negros Oriental. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
