By Jen Baylon
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental will reassess the security situation of the province after five local government units (LGUs) have been tagged as areas of concern for the midterm elections.
This decision follows the initial categorization of the municipalities of Isabela and San Enrique in the yellow category, while Sipalay City and the towns of Calatrava and Cauayan were classified in the orange category due to security concerns in the polls.
Comelec-NegOcc provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said the reassessment will involve a thorough review of information from the Comelec’s Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC), which plays a crucial role in evaluating security risks for the classification of LGUs as election hotspots.
Ananoria noted that the CBFSC might have received additional reports or qualifications that led to these classifications, and it is essential to verify this information to provide effective security measures during the elections.
CBFSC’s recent classification highlighted specific security concerns in certain LGUs.
However, Ananoria said he had not yet received a copy of the report.
He pointed out that the reassessment is necessary to ensure that the classifications accurately reflect the current security situation.
Ananoria added that the Regional Joint Security Coordinating Centers (RJSCC) will meet in February to conduct a reassessment of the election security situation in the Negros Island Region (NIR).
Meanwhile, Comelec-NIR Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said the RJSCC will also make recommendations to the poll body’s national office based on their assessment.
Castillano said the classification serves as a guide for election security plans.
Earlier, the Comelec said LGUs under the yellow category had “occurrences of suspected election-related incidents in the last two elections and the existence of intense partisan political rivalry, provided that there was no participation of domestic terror groups.”
The localities have been previously declared under Comelec control.
The poll body said serious armed threats “posed by communist terrorist groups or other threat groups as may be declared” were monitored in areas under the orange category.
No localities in Negros Occidental have been classified under the red category, which indicates that there is a presence of armed groups, or the LGU has a significant history of election-related violence.
The remaining 27 LGUs were categorized under the green category, which means the localities are free from any election-related threats.
Comelec has activated the Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Centers (PJSCC) in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, following the start of the election period on January 12.
The PJSCC is composed of the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard, and is headed by the Comelec./JB, WDJ