LAWYER Jessie Suarez, provincial supervisor of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), said Wednesday, May 2, that hinterland barangays in Negros Occidental may be put under orange status because of the presence of armed groups.
Under the new classification of Comelec, areas are color-coded such as green, or no problem and no cause for concern; yellow, area where there is a fair share of political unrest; orange, presence of armed groups such as secessionist groups and private armed groups; and red for those deemed as critical areas.
Suarez presided over the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center on May 2 with Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil Jr., provincial police director, and Colonel Eliezer Lozanes, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army based in Murcia town.
Suarez said majority of these barangays are located near the boundaries of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental and in two or three local government units.
The provincial poll chief, however, said the names of the barangays are classified, which is why they cannot reveal it yet.
"We are still in the process of validating the data and recommendations of the police and the military," he said.
There are also three categories that specify the level of concern: areas of concern or Category 1; immediate areas of concern or Category 2; and areas of grave concern or Category 3.
Castil said that based on the 2010 and 2016 statistics, out of the 601 barangays, those classified under the category 1 were four barangays; category two, 84; and category three, seven.
Earlier, the Negros Occidental Police Office identified 95 of the 601 villages in the province as possible areas of concern. These are the villages located in the towns of Toboso, Calatrava, Salvador Benedicto and Moises Padilla where there is a presence of armed groups and recent shooting incidents.
"We have to intensify the visibility of government troops in these areas as an answer to the presence of armed groups," Suarez said.