The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will conduct public hearings in Negros Oriental to assess if there’s a need to postpone the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in the province.
Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said in a statement that the hearings will evaluate the current situation in the light of the “political violence” in Negros Oriental, particularly in peace and order.
The meetings will also “determine the sentiments of its constituents relative to the proposal to postpone the upcoming BSKE,” he added.
The Comelec, together with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) through the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns, will assist in conducting the “hearings in every city, municipality and barangay in Negros Oriental.”
This came during an inquiry into the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo in March, when the Senate asked the Comelec to look into the possibility of deferring the local polls in the province amid the political violence.
The Senate also cited recent surveys which revealed that residents in Central Visayas, including Negros Oriental, agreed to postpone the BSKE.
Meanwhile, Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec in Central Visayas acting regional director, finished his three-day visit to the province to prepare for the series of public hearings on June 27 to 29 on the proposed BSKE deferment.
Castillano met with several government officials in the military and education sectors, city and municipal election officers, church and other sectoral representatives, and other interested organizations to coordinate the public hearings.
“The sentiments and the data gathered from these public hearings will be passed on to the Comelec en banc to decide on whether there is a need to postpone the barangay and SK elections,” Castillano said.
The Comelec also wants to get the sentiments, recommendations and views from the different sectors.
Castillano also appealed to the groups against adding political color to the hearings.
“Hopefully, this will not be made as a form of political wrangling among yourselves. This is not a political activity and we hope you will cooperate with the Comelec,” he said.
No word yet
Earlier, the Comelec said police and military agencies have yet to recommend if Negros Oriental will be declared as an election hotspot ahead of the BSKE on October 30 of this year.
“We have yet to meet with them. We will have a command conference by July,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in an interview on the sidelines of the House committee hearing.
“The AFP has yet to say anything on that. They don’t have a report yet,” he said.
“Previously, Negros Oriental was not considered an election hotspot, so we focused on other areas,” he added.
The poll body chair also reiterated its previous stance for peaceful and credible elections in Negros Oriental, to also conduct public consultations before declaring the province as a hotspot.
“We will be conducting public hearings on this, and we will have a decision by June,” Garcia said.
He admitted that the upcoming local polls are “hotly contested” and the Comelec is “monitoring the situation nationwide.”
“There may be incidents that won’t involve barangay officials, but such incidents might have implications on the conduct of the election,” he said.
Bucked postponement
Last week, newly-installed Negros Oriental Governor Manuel Sagarbarria said he is against the postponement of BSKE in the province.
However, if President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. decided to defer the local polls in the province, he would completely support it.
“I will respect that one hundred and one percent with no questions asked,” Sagarbarria said.
“I would prefer that the [BSKE] be held simultaneously with the rest of the country,” he added during his first press briefing as governor.
The postponement would require effort, time and resources for the national government, and there are also risks that it might be politicized, he said./With reports from GMA Integrated News, PNA / WDJ