By JEN BAYLON
The recent armed battle between government troops and remnants of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Negros Occidental’s Kabankalan City is not expected to disrupt the upcoming May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) said.
“Wala namang voting center na magiging affected. Wala namang problema for now because of that,” Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said, referencing similar incidents in other parts of Negros Occidental.
The Comelec-NIR assured the public that voting centers remain unaffected, and that contingency plans are firmly in place.
The situation in Kabankalan remains stable despite the incident, wherein seven alleged members of the NPA were killed in a series of clashes on Sunday, April 27.
Castillano said Kabankalan is not listed among areas of concern for the midterm elections, but city police and election officials will maintain a peaceful outlook for the city.
With over 2,000 uniformed personnel set to be deployed in polling centers across Negros Island, authorities remain confident in their preparedness to secure the polls.
Earlier, Comelec-NIR confirmed that no local government unit (LGU) in Negros Occidental has been classified under the Red Category, which denotes critical areas of concern for the midterm elections.
The towns of Isabela and San Enrique, previously categorized under the Yellow Category due to past election-related incidents, have been downgraded to the Green Category.
The rest of the LGUs remain under the Green Category, indicating no significant security concerns, Comelec-NIR said.
Call
In response to the clash, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson reiterated his call for remaining rebels to lay down their arms.
“This is a continuing call if ever there are still some left to lay down their arms and join the government, just like what other rebels did. You could see that the provincial government also took part in the rehabilitation of surrenderees by providing them with assistance for their livelihood, which we intend to continue,” Lacson said.
“I understand these are the remnants already. In fact, the military was hopeful that this group would lay down their arms and surrender, but obviously they’d rather go ahead on the military — very unfortunate on their part,” he added.
The provincial government recently awarded financial aid to former rebels to support their reintegration into society, underscoring its commitment to peacebuilding and development.
Likewise, the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (ID) urged NPA remnants in Negros Island to surrender following the clash, stating the communist-terrorist group had been “suffering a major blow.”
“This operation should serve as a wake-up call to those who still choose to support or join the Communist Party of the Philippines-NPA,” 3ID commander Major General Michael Samson said in a statement.
“We will relentlessly pursue and neutralize all armed rebels. The door to peace remains open. Surrender while you still have the chance,” he added.
Plans
In anticipation of the upcoming elections, the NIR Regional Joint Security Control Center convened yesterday to finalize security and contingency plans, especially for areas outside Kanlaon Volcano, where plans are already deemed sufficient.
Thousands of automated counting machines have been deployed across NIR, with Negros Oriental’s deployment completed in a single day yesterday, Negros Occidental’s for more than two days from April 28 to 29, and Siquijor’s for Wednesday, April 30.
Meanwhile, local absentee voting (LAV) began yesterday and will run until April 30, allowing government officials, military, police, and media personnel assigned to election duty to cast their votes for national candidates in advance.
This year marks the first time the LAV process is automated, with ballots securely stored in sealed envelopes to be counted simultaneously on the night of May 12 at the Comelec main office./JB, WDJ