Curfew to be imposed in Negros Oriental

BORDER CHECKPOINT Security forces, in this photo taken in September, conduct a checkpoint in Negros Oriental to make sure no illegal firearms and criminals will slip between the borders of Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental. —ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES VISAYAS COMMAND PHOTO

DUMAGUETE CITY—A province-wide curfew will be implemented in Negros Oriental to prevent violence and vote buying in time for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections on Oct. 30.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec)-led Special Task Force Negros Oriental passed a resolution on Wednesday imposing a curfew in the province from 10 p.m. on Saturday to 4 a.m. on Sunday, and again from 10 p.m. on Sunday to 4 a.m. on Monday, election day.

Negros Oriental is one of only two local government units placed under Comelec control. The other is Libon town in Albay province.

Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec director in Central Visayas, said no curfew will be implemented before Oct. 28 to give candidates more time to campaign.

READ: Negros Oriental curfew set ahead of barangay, SK polls

“The curfew is to prevent vote buying, threat and intimidation of force against votes and candidates, but we are not imposing it earlier as we do not want to impede the candidates’ rights to campaign,” he explained.

The curfew, he added, will affect all ages but exemption will be given to call center workers, law enforcers and other authorities and individuals whose services are required at any given time.

These individuals, however, will have to present proof that they are working during the curfew hours, as security forces will be on hand to verify their documents.

Violators will be detained and released at 5 a.m. the following day, said Castillano.

Soldiers and police officers are expected to be seen in all 549 clustered voting centers in Negros Oriental to help ensure a safe, peaceful and orderly elections.

At present, Negros Oriental has at least nine election areas of concern, composed of eight barangays under the orange category due to the presence of armed groups, such as the communist New People’s Army; and one under the yellow category due to intense political rivalry.

No single incident yet

Since the start of the election period on Aug. 28, however, no single election-related violent incident has been reported in the province.

Castillano, who heads the Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) in Central Visayas, attended the provincial JSCC meeting at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office on Wednesday to discuss the operational plan and guidelines on Negros Oriental since it is under Comelec control.

The RJSCC was made into the Special Task Force Negros Oriental and placed its provincial counterpart led by lawyer Eliseo Labaria, the acting provincial election officer, in charge of operations.

Last August, Negros Oriental was placed under Comelec control amid safety concerns raised by local residents in the wake of the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine other persons on March 4 when a group of heavily armed men stormed inside the governor’s property in Pamplona town.

The alleged mastermind in the killings, Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. has been expelled from the House of Representatives. He has gone into hiding and is now the subject of an arrest warrant issued by a Manila Regional Trial Court for murder charges.