The Commission on Elections is setting up its regional office for the Negros Island Region (NIR) in Dumaguete City for now although the law states that it should be in Negros Occidental.
NIR Comelec Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said he thinks the reason why Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia instructed him to hold office in Dumaguete for now is because of poll security concerns in Negros Oriental.
He said that although killings in Negros Oriental did not happen during the election period “we know that they were a result of the elections”.
“We are working for peaceful elections”, he said, pointing out that polls “marred by violence are not good for the economy, the people and the country”.
“We don’t want a failure elections that is why we are focusing on Negros Oriental,” he said.
Although he also pointed out that the last barangay and SK elections in Negros Oriental were very peaceful.
They are setting up NIR Comelec regional offices in Dumaguete and Bacolod, he assured.
NIR Comelec lawyer Cindy Ballesteros will be manning their regional office in Bacolod, Castillano said.
But as the election nears he may be in Negros Occidental twice a month, or the NIR Comelec Assistant Regional Director Dindo Maglasang, he added.
Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria is very capable, Castillano also pointed out.
“I’m very proud of this province, it has one of the highest (registration) output in the whole Philippines,” he said.
The order of the COMELEC chairman is to serve both Negros provinces and Siquijor in the NIR well, Castillano said.
“The chairman wants our services brought closer to the people that is why we have satellite registration (of voters) in malls and mountain barangays,” he said.
He said their Register Anywhere Program will end on August 31 and the regular registration of voters w on September 30.
“We urge people to register now and not wait for the deadline rush”, he said.
The NIR Comelec regional office has no budget yet, what they have are job order workers, Castillano said.
Comelec is one of the first regional offices created in the NIR because next year’s election will be automated that requires one year of preparations, Castillano said.*