Saturday, April 28, 2007 1st district candidates sign peace pact with Comelec, PNP By RACHELLE M. NESSIA
A PEACE covenant was recently signed by the candidates of the first district in Negros Oriental, and representatives of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas.
The covenant signing was made after they held a dialogue last April 12 to intervene in what is seen to be a tense electoral race in the district.
The move was also in line with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's call for "an intensified cooperation between law enforcement agencies, the citizenry and the Comelec in stemming the increasing incidence of poll-related violence in the country."
Last April 12, Provincial Elections Supervisor Manuel Advincula, Central Visayas Police Regional Director Silverio Alarcio Jr. and Provincial Police Director Melvin Ramon Buenafe met with the electoral candidates in the first district after reported election-related violent incidents erupted in the area.
A total of eight persons have died in La Libertad and Canlaon City last April 1 and March 9, respectively.
La Libertad and Canlaon City are among the eight areas that belong to the first district.
Advincula, though, said there is no concrete evidence yet that these incidents are politically-related.
But whether the killings were election-related or not, Advincula said the intervention was needed to dampen the intense political rivalry in the area.
"The entire island is under my supervision...I don't want to wait for something else to happen that may result to loss of lives or other atrocities," he said.
Advincula also disclosed that during the dialogue, the candidates said they were willing to cooperate and adhere to the peace covenant.
He said he believes that the situation is now "under control" and that the current peace and order situation in the province is "80 percent commendable".
