THE Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo) is monitoring five election hotspots in the province due to the reported presence of armed men and election-related violence.
Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil Jr., provincial director of Nocppo, identified the towns of Moises Padilla, Isabela, Toboso, and Salvador Benedicto, and the city of Escalante as election watchlist areas.
He said the data was based on the intelligence monitoring of Nocppo.
Castil told SunStar Bacolod Wednesday, October 10, that the towns of Salvador Benedicto, Toboso, and Escalante City are included in the poll hotspots because of the sightings of armed men.
Some areas in the said places are also infested by the rebels, he said.
Castil said they are also keeping an eye on Isabela due to the killings of village chiefs in the town in the previous months.
In August, Joemarie Saracia, 44, of Barangay Sebucauan, was gunned down by five unidentified members of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the said village.
The same perpetrators also admitted the killing of incumbent Libas village chief Rhoy Pagapang and former San Agustin village chief Agapito Euroba on the same month.
The rebels identified Saracia and the two village chiefs as alleged "military assets."
Castil also said they have included Moises Padilla town because of the security threat against Mayor Magdaleno Peña.
As to the other areas, Castil said they continue to evaluate or assess the situation.
“We will know the immediate need for security in the place after the filing of certificates of candidacy,” Castil said.
As this developed, Senior Inspector Aireen Cordua, public information officer of Nocppo, said they are now on heightened alert status since the filing of COCs has started Thursday, October 11.
Cordua said policemen will be deployed at the Commission on Elections (Comelec) offices upon the request of the poll officer for security.
The number of personnel will depend on the discretion of the police chief in their respective areas, she added.
Cordua also said that seven policemen from different police stations in the province were temporarily reassigned to other police stations since they have relatives who are running in the midterm elections.
This is to prevent them from influencing the election, she said.
Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent Francisco Ebreo, acting director of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said there are no election hotspots in Bacolod.
He said there will be a deployment of policemen at the Comelec office in the city for security assistance.