By JEN BAYLON

The Negros Occidental Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) will convene today to finalize the categorization of the province in the May 12 midterm elections.

“We will be finalizing the final recommendation on what color or category to assign to the province of Negros Occidental,” provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said.

The PJSCC will forward its recommendation to the Regional Joint Security Control Center, which will then be submitted to the national level.

This classification serves as a guide for election security plans.

In January, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) previously identified five election areas of concern in Negros Occidental.

The municipalities of Cauayan and Calatrava, along with Sipalay City, were placed under the orange category, indicating serious armed threats.

The towns of Isabela and San Enrique were classified in the yellow category, denoting a history of election-related incidents.

The remaining 27 local government units (LGUs) in the province were placed under the green category, signifying no security concerns.

Earlier, Ananoria said the category reassessment would 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.

He pointed out that the reassessment is necessary to ensure that the classifications accurately reflect the current security situation./JB, WDJ