BACOLOD City – The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) confirmed on Monday that it has been monitoring 80 election watchlist areas (EWAs) in the province in relation to the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on May 14.
“The 80 barangays are still subject for more validation and monitoring through the conduct of Commission on Election (Comelec) workshops,” said Nocppo director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil Jr.
A series of Comelec workshops and coordinating conferences are conducted in the province in collaboration with the Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and other concerned government agencies.
Nocppo withheld the names of the villages pending results of the validation.
But the villages are listed under three categories – Category I (barangays with reported election-related violent incidents from 2010 to 2016), Category 2 (barangays withreported presence of New People’s Army and other armed groups) and Category 3 (barangays with both election-related violence between 2010 and 2016, and reported presence of armed groups).
Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Jessie Suarez will meet Nocppo and Army officials today for the validation.
Suarez said there are four towns in the province that are listed as EWAs based on the recent reported activities of the New People’s Army.
Suarez reminded elections officers in cities and municipalities in the province to remove all campaign materials that are posted in prohibited areas.
The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) last Friday announced that Negros Occidental has the most number of EWAs among the six provinces in Western Visayas.
But PRO-6 initially said there were only 77 villages listed as EWAs.
Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay Jr., PRO-6 deputy regional director for operations, said earlier that EWAs might still change as the election day nears. (With Ranie Azue/PNA/PN)
