Mayor Raymund Tongson said not all barangays in Himamaylan City may be considered hotly contested areas for the October elections.
“We will just have to deal with the circumstances per area, we cannot say that all 19 Himamaylan City barangays will have problems,” said Tongson on Wednesday, September 6.
”We will just have to resolve the situation as it happens,” he said.
The city government is closely coordinating with the Commission on Elections, Philippine National Police and the Army to ensure peaceful polls, he said.
Tongson said he has also met with incumbent barangay officials and candidates to appeal to them to keep the October polls peaceful.
There have also been recent armed encounters between Philippine Army and rebels forces in the hinterland barangays of Himamaylan.
The Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Center (PJSCC) has recommended 55 election areas of concern in Negros Occidental, Brig. Gen. Orlando Edralin, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said on Tuesday.*