By JEN BAYLON
The Commission on Elections in Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) is 80 percent ready for the May 12 midterm elections, stating that they are “on time” in their preparations.
Comelec-NIR Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said they are still finalizing the contingency plans for the elections, which will include security preparations as well as evacuation plans of the local government units that will be affected if Alert Level 4 is raised at Kanlaon Volcano.
He said they are waiting for the evacuation contingency plans of the La Castellana municipal government, as it has not yet decided where to house the residents affected in case of a volcanic eruption.
Meanwhile, Comelec has yet to finalize its list of “areas of concern” in Negros Occidental for the upcoming May 12 midterm elections.
Castillano stated that discussions between Comelec, the Philippine Army and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are necessary to determine which areas will be classified under the Red, Orange, Yellow, and Green Categories.
He noted that area categorizations could change based on concerns raised by the military, which will be discussed with the police and Comelec.
The PNP employs a four-tier color-coded system to classify election concerns:
* Red Category for areas with serious armed threats and history of election-related incidents
* Orange Category for areas with serious armed threats
* Yellow Category for areas with a history of election-related incidents
* Green Category for areas without election-related security concerns
The Provincial Joint Security Control Center Provincial Coordinating Conference held yesterday was attended by the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO), the Bacolod City Police Office, the Philippine Coast Guard, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
In January, the NOCPPO reported that Negros Occidental remains under the Green Category, indicating no recorded election-related security concerns.
However, the categorization of a specific city or municipality may change if certain incidents occur.
Despite the generally peaceful assessment, four towns and a city in Negros Occidental have been identified as areas of concern.
The municipalities of Cauayan and Calatrava, as well as Sipalay City, were placed under the Orange Category.
The towns of Isabela and San Enrique are classified in the Yellow Category.
The remaining 27 local government units in the province, including capital Bacolod City, were placed under the Green Category, signifying no security concerns./JB, WDJ