Himamaylan City in Negros Occidental remains under the orange category for the May polls, despite recent encounters in the area that have left four New People’s Army rebels dead.
Acting Provincial Elections Supervisor Roberto Salazar said Himamaylan was placed under the orange category because of the presence of armed rebels in the area.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine Army have assured the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that the situation in Himamaylan will not affect the conduct of the elections in the area, there is nothing to worry about, he said.
He also said it will be up to the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council (RJPSCC) to decide on a recommendation to downgrade Bacolod City’s category from yellow to green.
Salazar said he has yet to receive a recommendation but it would be best to send it directly to the RJPSCC.
Bacolod was placed under the yellow category because of intense political rivalry.
Green refers to areas that do not have security concerns and are generally peaceful and orderly.
There are 19 areas of concern for the May polls in Negros Occidental, Salazar said.
Meanwhile, Salazar said Negros Occidental and Bacolod City will have 2,906 clustered precincts on May 9.
The Comelec will be deploying 2,906 vote counting machines and some contingency VCMs, he said.
The VCMs are expected to arrive after Holy Week.*