Government officials are evaluating whether a town in Negros Occidental should be classified as an area of concern in the May 12 polls due to insurgency-related threats, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.
Comelec Negros Island Region head Lionel Marco Castillano said Communist rebels are exploiting a local issue in the town, prompting authorities to review its security status.
However, he did not disclose the town’s name during the Provincial Joint Security Control Center’s coordinating conference on election security at the Negros Residences on Tuesday, February 18.
Despite this, officials maintain that Negros Occidental remains generally peaceful.
On Monday, February 17, at the sidelines of a peace covenant signing in Cauayan town—more than 100 kilometers south of Bacolod— Police Provincial Director Colonel Rainerio M. de Chavez told local reporters that the province remains under the “green” category, meaning it faces no immediate election-related threats.
Meanwhile, officials are considering raising La Libertad, Negros Oriental, from “yellow” to “red” after the New People’s Army recently burned heavy equipment in the area, signaling a heightened security concern.
With the elections approaching, authorities continue to monitor potential threats to ensure a peaceful and orderly voting process.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.