The Commission on Elections guidelines for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE) in October are out and the Joint Security Coordinating Center will be convened, Negros Occidental Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Thursday, June 15.
Ananoria said he will meet with provincial officials of the Philippine National Police and Army next week to discuss the guidelines, potential private armed groups (PAGs) and insurgency concerns in the province that could affect the polls.
The police on Wednesday said there are three potential PAGs in Negros Occidental that are being monitored.
PAGs could affect residents’ right to vote, Ananoria said.
The guidelines also include the criteria for determining election watchlist areas (EWAS) and hotspots, which he will discuss with the law enforcement agencies, he said.
The COMELEC has no rule on requiring candidates to undergo drug tests, he added.
A gun ban will be in the place during the election period that starts August 28 until November 29, Ananoria added.
Meanwhile, Central Negros Electric Cooperative has submitted a request to use the COMELEC ballot boxes for its joint venture agreement plebiscite, he said.*