8 election hot spots, 4 'areas of concern' tagged in Negros Island

From Rappler (May 6): 8 election hot spots, 4 'areas of concern' tagged in Negros Island

Localities are placed on a watch list if they have current incidents or have a history of election-related violence, intense political rivalry, presence of armed groups, and hotly-contested political positions



 

Eight election hot spots and 4 areas of concern were identified in Negros Island, a newly created region in the Visayas where presidential candidates Manuel Roxas II and Grace Poe are currently leading in terms of voter preferences.

It has about 2.5 million voters.

Additional forces have been sent to Negros Oriental for the security requirements of the cities of Guihulngan, Canlaon, and Bais and the towns of La Libertad, Siaton, Tanjay, Pamplona and Sta. Catalina, said police Senior Superintendent Harris Fama, acting director of Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office.

Fama gave assurances that contingency plans for the elections on Monday, May 9, are already in place.

As of this writing, a total of 1,442 police personnel have been deployed to augment local forces to maintain police visibility and secure polling centers in the province’s 3 districts. Additional checkpoints were also installed.

Negros Oriental is among the election watchlist areas (EWAs) of the Philippine police, joining Pangasinan, Masbate, Western Samar, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, Abra, Nueva Ecija, and Lanao del Norte.

Localities are placed under the EWA list if they have current incidents or have a history of election-related violence, intense political rivalry, presence of armed groups, and hotly-contested political positions.

Guihulngan City was placed under Category 3, meaning there is intense political rivalry and presence of armed groups. The rest of the cities and towns were placed under Category 2 because of the reported presence of armed groups.

Meanwhile, 4 localities in neighboring province Negros Occidental are considered "areas of concern". Regional police Chief Superintendent Conrado Capa said they are the towns of Isabela, Escalante City, Moises Padilla, and Toboso, where a series of shooting incidents and violence were reported since the start of the election period.

Capa said there are more than 4,000 police forces in the entire region. Up to 15% of the local police strength will remain in police stations, consisting of quick reaction teams and the personnel designated to monitor municipal elections, Capa said.

The military said they are also ready to support the local police. Colonel Francisco Delfin, commander of the 303rd Infantry Brigade of the Philippine Army, said 3 battalions are ready to be deployed.

Delfin said Army troops will be deployed in different areas, while police forces will be assigned to the polling precincts. Navy boats and Air Force choppers are on stand-by, he said.

The April 27-May 1 Standard poll conducted by Laylo Research Strategies shows that most of the voters in the region prefer Roxas (40%) or Poe (33%) to succeed President Benigno Aquino III.

National survey leader Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was chosen by only 18% of voters in the region. The error margin for the region is 10 percentage points.

http://www.rappler.com/nation/politics/elections/2016/132019-negros-island-election-hot-spots