By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) over the weekend said they are closely monitoring the ground situation in four Negros Occidental local government units (LGUs) which have been tagged as “red areas” or areas of grave concern for the upcoming May 2022 national and local elections.

The four “red areas” are Escalante City and the towns of Calatrava, Candoni and Moises Padilla.

Based on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 10757, an area is deemed an area of grave concern if there is a combination of the presence of armed insurgents and the LGU’s history of election-related violence.

PRO-6 spokesperson Police Lt. Colonel Arnel Solis said their decision to tag the four LGUs as “red areas” is based on their and the Philippine Army’s security preparations so as to prevent any election-related incidents from repeating in the said areas.

The deployment of an augmentation force in the said areas will also depend on the everyday ground situation, although so far all four areas are currently peaceful, Solis added.

Earlier, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson reminded candidates in the province to avoid acts of violence or intimidation as the campaign for the local election has already begun last Friday, March 25.

Noting that several areas of the province have been classified as election areas of concern, Lacson urged candidates to ensure peaceful polls.

“Let us not be violent and let us respect the May 9 elections,” he said.

He also encouraged local candidates not to resort to “negative campaigning,” pointing out that political opponents today may become allies in the future./DGB, WDJ