Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Monday said it aims to decide on the possible 30-day suspension of the village level polls in Negros Oriental by September at the earliest amid peace and order concerns in the province.
“We hope to come up with a decision by the last part of September, ang latest na (the latest is) early part of October,” Comelec Commissioner George Garcia told CNN Philippines’ The Source.
Garcia said the Comelec, joined by officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, will visit the province on Tuesday to assess the situation there and to hold a public hearing regarding the matter.
Nine mayors have already called for the postponement of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections because of a “lingering atmosphere of terror” in the aftermath of the brutal murder of Governor Roel Degamo.
Garcia said such a statement from local chief executives will help in the en banc’s decision-making, but this will not be the final basis since all groups must be consulted first.
In case of postponement, the BSK polls in Negros Oriental will be moved from October 30 to November 30.
Garcia noted that the Comelec can only implement a 30-day suspension under the Omnibus Election Code. A longer postponement will need legislation from Congress, he added.
Speaking to CNN Philippines, National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) Secretary General Eric Alvia noted that the province’s problem of lawlessness and violence from armed political groups has been around for a long time.
\”I don’t know if one month is sufficient to really solve the problems in the province. It’s a long-term process to stabilize what’s going on in Negros,\” he said.
But for Alvia, postponing the BSK polls in Negros Oriental should be the Comelec’s last option.
\”You should never, as much as possible, delay or postpone an election because you’re depriving voters of their right to choose and their right to seek their leaders,\” he said. \”Elections, if done properly, could be in fact a stabilizing process to calm things down in the province.\”
One way for the Comelec to push through with the polls in the province is by putting Negros Oriental under its control, Alvia said.
\”Given the fact we are having elections nationwide, the province of Negros may have to share or have to demand meager resources from the law enforcement agencies, so I think that is one of the reasons also why they want a separate elections from the regular national BSKE to focus more resources on the province,\” he pointed out.
Alvia said the final say on the issue would be on the Comelec depending on the information it would gather from law enforcers regarding the situation on the ground.
