The Commission on Elections will discuss the insurgency problem in some barangays in southern Negros Occidental with the Philippine National Police to determine whether there is a need to declare areas of concern, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said Wednesday, March 15.
The Comelec will set a criteria for determining areas of concern, he said.
Numerous encounters between government and rebels forces have occurred in barangays in Himamaylan City that have caused residents to evacuate in recent months.
Ananoria said political rivalry is more intense during barangay elections because residents are related to each other, and the voting area is smaller so every vote counts.
The Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections are set on October 30, and a gun ban will be in place during the election period that starts on July 3 and ends on November 14.
The filing of Certificates of Candidacy will be from July 3 to 7 and the campaign period will be from October 19 to 28.
Campaigning will be prohibited from July 8 to October 18.
Upon the filing of a certificate of candidacy one is considered a candidate and must avoid premature campaigning, Ananoria said.
The filing of certificates of candidacy had been set early to give the COMELEC enough time to resolve all the legal issues raised by contending parties, he said.
Comelec representatives from Manila are arriving in Negros on March 20 to finalize the budget for the precincts for the October polls and so they can print the official voters’ lists, Ananoria added.*