• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The encounters between New People’s Army rebel remnants and Army soldiers in Toboso and Cadiz City, Negros Occidental, will not affect the May 12 elections in those areas, Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec regional director for Negros Island Region, declared on Thursday.
The March 18 armed encounter in Barangay General Luna in Toboso led to injuries sustained by three Army soldiers, while in a separate encounter the week earlier with government troopers in Brgy. Caduhaan, Cadiz City, two top leaders of the Komiteng Rehiyonal Negros/Cebu/Bohol/Siquijor also died.
Castillano said the armed engagements with rebel remnants were government initiated, as a result of their intensified and focused military operations against the New People’s Army.
The Comelec official added that not a single candidate, or voters, have been affected by the two encounters, which prompted him to believe that it has no effect on the conduct of the May 12 elections in those areas.
In Negros Island Region, the Commission on Elections has listed Guihulngan City and La Libertad in Negros Oriental, under the red category for the May 12 polls, or those with serious threat of election related violence.
During the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) meeting on March 19 held in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental, Castillano, however, said there is no recommendation from the Philippine Army, or Philippine National Police, to place Guihulngan City, under Comelec control.
Basay City in Negros Oriental was placed under the orange category, while the remaining local government units are in the yellow category, he added.
Orange areas have the combination of election related incidents in the two previous elections, and threats from the NPA, while those in the yellow category have a history of election related violence.
Aside from Candoni, which falls under the orange category, the remaining 31 LGUs are under the green category, or areas with no security concerns.
The Commission on Elections is banking on the activation of Negros Island Region (NIR) Police Office to have more manpower to secure the May 12 elections in the newly established Visayas administrative region.
Castillano said they need additional augmentation forces in Negros Oriental.
If the new regional police office is activated on March 27, he said they may tap the forces of the Bacolod City Police Office and regional mobile force battalion to secure the elections in the NIR.
PCol. Joeresty Coronica, Bacolod City Police Office chief, disclosed that they will deploy about 800 police personnel to secure the elections in Bacolod City, with five police officers to be assigned in each of the 48 police precincts.
Castillano said that the deployment of two police personnel per polling precinct is enough.*
