By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental said yesterday they will reassign members of the Election Registration Board (ERB) who have relatives running in the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE).

Atty. Ian Lee Ananoria, Comelec-NegOcc elections supervisor, said ERB members, who have relatives running for village or SK posts, are to be transferred to other villages to prevent them from influencing poll results.

The selection and training for ERBs and canvassing board members are ongoing.

Seminars and training sessions will be conducted for the poll boards until October.

Ananoria also assures that the wages of those serving during BSKE will be given on time, but it will not be tax-free.

He added that some election paraphernalia, such as non-accountable forms, had already arrived at their office.

Other election materials have been directly sent to the cities in the province.

However, there are still some materials at the provincial Comelec office that need to be gathered by the election officers.

Earlier, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) relieved and reassigned a city police chief and 268 police non-commissioned officers to other police units, as part of the ongoing preparations for the BSKE.

NOCPPO spokesperson, Police Captain Judesses Catalogo, said the relieved personnel were intended to safeguard the peace and order situation for the polls, and to comply with the Omnibus Election Code./DGB, WDJ