The 62nd Infantry Battalion (62IB) of the Philippine Army is focusing its attention on two areas in Negros Oriental that are categorized as “red election hotspots”.
Lt. Col. Evelio Ilanga, 62IB commanding officer, said Guihulngan City and La Libertad town are tagged under the highest category of watchlist areas of concern due to the presence of the New People’s Army (NPA).
“We are not letting our guard down even if the NPA is no longer a serious threat as we are dealing with remnants of the dismantled Central Negros 1 guerilla front, whose also operates in some parts of Negros Occidental,” Ilanga said.
“Alongside the Philippine National Police, we are continuing security operations to ensure that the conduct of the elections in these areas will proceed smoothly”, he added.
A shooting incident involving an elected official in Guihulngan City and the burning of heavy equipment in La Libertad, followed by an encounter, allegedly perpetrated by the NPA, were cited earlier as the reasons for placing these areas under the red category.
Ilanga, however, said there have been no reports of atrocities related to the elections in which the NPA is involved.
Additionally, authorities have not received complaints or reports of alleged permit-to-campaign fees being collected by the insurgents from poll bets as they did in the past.
Ilanga assured that government forces are ready for any eventuality. He said their troops will serve during the elections and at the same time undertake counter-insurgency operations.
Negros Oriental also has one area listed under the “orange” category and 22 others under the “yellow” category of election “hotspots”.
Code yellow means an area has history of political unrest; orange indicates the presence of armed groups; while red is for those deemed as critical areas.*PNA