Police start assessing situation in Central Visayas for coming barangay, SK elections
CEBU CITY – The Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7) has started its threat assessment in barangays as part of the tight security that will be enforced in the upcoming Barangay and Sanggunian Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Negros Oriental is one of the areas that will be given more attention after the killing of Gov. Roel Degamo last March, said Police
Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of Police Brig. Gen. Anthony Aberin, chief of PRO-7.
Although the elections are still five months away, Pelare said the PRO-7 has started assessing and reviewing the incidents that had happened in each barangay in the previous elections.
Pelare records showed that there were 129 areas in Central Visayas that were declared as areas of concern during the 2018 barangay elections.
“But we cannot compare the 2018 elections to the upcoming elections. That’s why we are conducting a thorough assessment to find out if there is higher threat in the more than 3,000 barangays in Central Visyas especially those in Negros Oriental,” said Pelare.
The BSKE is set this October.
Despite the killing of Degamo, the PRO-7 has yet to classify Negros Oriental as a critical area pending the completion of assessment.
Pelare said the PRO-7 will assess if the previous killings in the province had something to do with politics.