READY TO SERVE The Central Visayas police office holds a sendoff ceremony for 100 policemen at Camp Sergio Osme帽a Sr. in Cebu City on July 7. They will be assigned in Negros Oriental to help keep peace and order in the province hounded by killings in previous months. 鈥擯HOTO COURTESY OF POLICE REGIONAL OFFICE IN CENTRAL VISAYAS
CEBU CITY 鈥� At least a hundred elite policemen have been deployed to Negros Oriental province to ensure the safety of people in preparation for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October.
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7), said the policemen from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion will be assigned to ports, border control points and strategic checkpoints.
He said the presence of police and military forces in the province should not alarm residents because the augmentation force was meant to secure everyone in Negros Oriental.
鈥淭here is nothing to worry about. This is just an additional force to make sure that our borders are secured. We will have checkpoints and many more police initiatives in coordination with our Armed Forces of the Philippines,鈥� Pelare said in an interview on the sidelines of the sendoff ceremony on July 7.
The assurance came just as a number of local officials, including the widow of slain Gov. Roel Degamo, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, have called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to postpone the holding of the twin polls in the province on Oct. 30 due to recent high-profile killings, including that of the former governor, and insurgency-related violence and arrests.
But the Philippine National Police had disagreed with the postponement, saying they have enough manpower to secure the province during the twin elections.
Security detail assessment
Pelare said the PNP had already come up with an initial assessment under the four categories of 鈥渁reas of concern鈥� based on the latest Comelec resolution on the categorization of barangays.
In Negros Oriental, Pelare said some barangays were initially considered as 鈥渁reas of concern鈥� and 鈥渁reas of immediate concern鈥� due to the presence of communist rebel groups and because of previous election-related incidents.
鈥淣o matter what the final decision on whether or not the barangay and SK elections in Negros Oriental would push through or not, the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas would be ready,鈥� Pelare said.
He said the police had also identified 鈥渨ho among the elected officials or other government officials have threats,鈥� adding 鈥渢hey are given temporary security by PRO-7, pending their application before the Police Security Protection Unit.鈥�
Degamo鈥檚 killing
Despite the deployment of 100 policemen to Negros Oriental, Pelare said there would still be enough manpower if needed in other areas in Central Visayas.
鈥淥ur deployment is born out of analysis. We analyzed the situation because we have a threat assessment. We have areas of concern that we need to look at. So this deployment is not pro-rata. This will depend on the needs of the area,鈥� Pelare said.
Last month, the Comelec conducted a three-day public hearing to determine whether or not there is a need to postpone the barangay and SK elections in the province due to a series of killings highlighted by the killing of Degamo.
Degamo was gunned down by assailants while attending to the needs of his constituents inside his residential compound in Pamplona town on March 4. Nine other people were also killed during the attack.
Eleven suspects were arrested who earlier linked suspended Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. to the killing of Degamo. However, many of the suspects recently recanted their confessions after they were provided with lawyers.
Teves was also tagged in the murder of former Negros Oriental provincial board member Miguel Dungog on March 25, 2019, Lester Bato on May 26, 2019, and Pacito Libron, killed on June 23, 2019.
The outspoken congressman, who is still outside the country, repeatedly denied the accusations. INQ