Armed Forces chief of staff General Romeo Brawner, Jr. on August 24, assured that they are ready to secure Negros Oriental from various threats and possible violence during the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (BSKE) elections as he called for cooperation among all sectors.
Brawner is in the province to attend the inauguration of the newly constructed hanging bridge in Mabinay town which was destroyed during the onslaught of Typhoon “Odette” in 2021.
Brawner said that even before the BSKE preparations, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) had been working together to keep the peace and ensure the safety of the people in Negros Oriental following the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo in Pamplona town last March.
“Our troops are coordinating very closely with the Commission on Elections [Comelec], together with the [PNP] and the local government units, as we need their cooperation to ensure that the province of Negros Oriental is peaceful,” he said.
He remains hopeful to get the cooperation of the people, noting that government forces alone cannot achieve peace and order.
“When it comes to peace and order, this is not just a problem for the military and the police, but this is a collective responsibility for all of us,” he pointed out.
The reassurance of sustained peace and security efforts in Negros Oriental also comes in the midst of a Comelec request from Congress for a budget to hold special elections in the province following the vacancy of the third district congressional seat.
The House of Representatives has recently expelled Negros Oriental (3rd District) Representative Arnolfo “Arnie” Teves, Jr. from the chamber for “disorderly behavior and for violation of the Code of Conduct of the House of Representatives.”
Teves was also tagged as the alleged mastermind in the murder of Degamo and nine others and was designated a “terrorist” along with several others by the Anti-Terrorist Council.
Meanwhile, security preparations are being finalized during the coordinating conference of the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center in Region 7, lawyer Eliseo Labaria, acting provincial election supervisor of Negros Oriental, said.
Labaria said the conference will primarily discuss security preparations, including the identification of potential hotspots or election areas of concern in the province and troop deployment, among others. (PNA)