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Monday, March 01, 2004
Comelec, Noppo agree to ensure peaceful polls
By Claudine C. Dumalag
* Himamaylan the latest to be included among the areas of concern after the February 15 armed conflict between the NPA guerillas who raided the Mahalang Cafgu detachment
THE Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Noppo) will sign a covenant to maintain peace and order in five cities and one town in the province identified as areas of concern.
Senior Supt. Vicente Ponteras, provincial police director, and Comelec provincial supervisor Marsha Cordero agreed to enter into a covenant to monitor these areas during the period of election.
Identified as areas of concern or those which are characterized by intense political rivalry and sightings of armed groups, particularly the New People's Army, are the cities of Silay, Talisay, Escalante, and Cadiz and Moises Padilla town.
Himamaylan was the latest to be included after the February 15 armed conflict between the NPA guerillas who raided the Mahalang Cafgu detachment that killed two rebels and wounded eight others, including the detachment commander and his wife.
One militiaman was turned into a "prisoner of war" by the rebels.
The town of Moises Padilla also took the spotlight after two children of town mayor Jose Garcia were tagged to the harassment of a supporter of their father's political rival, Frank Nazareno.
Ponteras assured Negrenses there would be no let-up in efforts to thwart rebel offensives or any other plans to sabotage the electoral process. He added that Noppo has set up checkpoints and chokepoints and mounted roving patrol operations for the safety of voters, especially during nighttime.
As to the need to augment the current number of police forces, Ponteras said troopers of the Provincial Mobile Groups, Regional Mobile Groups and Noppo units would be enough to maintain a peaceful and orderly elections.
Noppo's records disclosed that of the 128 areas of concern in the previous elections, the number decreased to only 45 hotspot villages.
These hotspot barangays are from four cities and six municipalities in the province -- the cities of Talisay, Cadiz, Bago, Victorias and towns of Binalbagan, E.B. Magalona, Isabela, Toboso, Murcia and Don Salvador Benedicto.
(February 28, 2004 issue)
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