The Commission on Elections has assigned a new acting provincial election supervisor for Negros Occidental, and the reshuffling of town and city poll officers is expected to follow.
Negros Occidental Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Monday, January 10, that he has been reassigned to Iloilo province for the election period.
Meanwhile, Aklan Provincial Election Supervisor Roberto Salazar has been assigned to head the Negros Occidental Comelec for the duration of the 2022 election period, Ananoria said.
Salazar will take over as acting Negros Occidental provincial election supervisor this week, Ananoria said.
Ananoria said he will return to his Negros Occidental post on June 8.
1.9M VOTERS
Negros Occidental has 1,946,639 registered voters, 327,403 of whom are in Bacolod City.
Ananoria said in Negros Occidental some town and city Comelec offices have already started printing their list of registered voters.
Bacolod Election Officer Kathrina Trinio Caña said she is waiting for the approval from COMELEC when to release the list of voters to stakeholders requesting for copies.
CHECKPOINT
Ananoria said one person was apprehended for violating the election gunban at a Comlece checkpoint in Kabankalan City Monday morning.
Arrested was a 21-year-old tricycle passenger identified as Christopher Gaisen and recovered from him was a .38 caliber revolver, the police said.
AREAS OF CONCERN
Ananoria said the Provincial Joint Security Control Center met Saturday and there are several local government units under police watch.
Escalante City and Moises Padilla town are candidates for election areas of concern but it is not official yet, he said.
One of the parameters is past election violence, he said.
Caña said the City Joint Security Control Center is also set to convene on January 13 to discuss possible areas of concern in Bacolod City.
COVID-19 security measures are also being put in place for the May 9 polls, she said.
Designated holding areas for those with suspected COVID-19 symptoms will be set up at polling areas, she said.
Voting will be from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., or one hour longer, she added.*