Sr. Supt. Harris Fama, the newly designated OIC Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial director of Negros Oriental, has disclosed that majority of the election watchlist areas in the province are in the 1st congressional district.
The 1st congressional district comprises the cities of Canlaon and Guihulngan and the municipalities of Manjuyod, Bindoy, Ayungon, Tayasan, Jimalalud, La Libertad and Vallehermoso.
Sr. Supt. Fama further disclosed Friday that the PNP has already validated these areas although he declined to identify them until after the list has been submitted to the Commission on Elections in the Province.
The COMELEC here, headed by Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Eddie Aba, will review the list and make the official announcement in the coming days, according to Fama.
Negros Oriental is among the six “election hotspots” or election watchlist areas (EWAs) in the country which the PNP had declared last December due to certain parameters.
At the provincial level, certain parameters are being considered for the classification of EWAs, said Fama.
Category 1means the presence of or reports of intense political rivalry in a particular area, Category 2 would be areas with reports of threat groups such as criminal gangs, private armed security forces or bodyguards and “dissidents” such as the New People’s Army and Category 3 would be a combination of Categories 1 and 2.
At least one area in Negros Oriental has been classified under Category 3, having the highest security threat and impact to the coming May 9 elections.
Two to three other areas are also initially classified under Category 1 and Category 2, but Sr. Supt. Fama has refused to divulge the names of these municipalities as yet.
Also included in the validation of the election watchlist areas are barangays that are facing such threats although Sr. Supt. Fama said he does not have any idea yet how many of them are to be declared as such.
Negros Oriental has 557 barangays and has a total of 1,284 clustered voting precincts and 785,912 registered voters based on COMELEC records.
Atty. Eddie Aba said he has not yet received the list but he says that whatever will be submitted to him should be the preliminary election watchlist areas in Negros Oriental.
Sr. Supt. Fama had cautioned that in the coming weeks, the scenario could change just as the list would also be updated and there could be more or less election areas of concern in it.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have downplayed the Negros Oriental tag as an “election hotspot” in the Philippines in relation to the coming May 9 synchronized elections.
This comes as the COMELEC, PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other law enforcement agencies convened at the Negros Oriental PNP Provincial Office (NORPPO) to officially activate the Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Council (PJSCC) in time for the mid-term polls in May.
Newly designated PNP regional director for Region 18 or the Negros Island Region, Chief Supt. Conrado Capa, was present for the PJSCC activation and was briefed on the current peace and order situation in Negros Oriental.
During separate interviews Tuesday morning, Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Eddie Aba and Chief Supt. Conrado Capa made similar pronouncements that while indeed Negros Oriental is among the six areas earlier identified by PNP as “election hotspots” there is nothing to worry about.
Media reports had quoted the PNP hierarchy as having announced last month that based on intelligence reports, six provinces were placed under the classification as election watch list areas (EWAs).
These are Masbate, Pangasinan, Negros Oriental, Samar, Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur.
But, according to Chief Supt. Capa, it is normal for a province with intense political rivalry from the previous election to be placed in the list of election areas of concern.
The scenario can change any time, though, as there are variables, but the police are doing their best with their preparations to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections in May, he assured.
“It doesn’t matter. We do the same amount of preparation, and it’s no big deal for me”, said the PRO-18 police director.
For his part, Atty. Aba admitted the need to put in additional security preparations for Negros Oriental now that it has been included in the election watch list of areas.
But, he also emphasized that there is nothing to worry about the province being in the EWAs as it would mean additional troop deployment for the elections.
There will also be additional logistics, and for everything else for the elections, Aba added. (PNA)
