Comelec set to conduct public hearings in Negros Oriental

Amid calls to postpone the conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) in Negros Oriental, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it would be conducting public hearings in the province this month. In a statement sent by Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco, the poll body stated that the public hearings will be done to assess the current situation there in the province, particularly the peace and order status. They will then determine the sentiments of the constituents relative to the proposal to postpone the upcoming BSKE in the province. Comelec said that this move stemmed from the proposal of Sen. Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, Chairperson of the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, and Sen. Francis Tolentino, to postpone the said elections during a senate inquiry on the assassination of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo. "The Honorable Senators cited recent surveys stating that people in Region VII are agreeable to the postponement of the BSKE in the area," the poll body said. Comelec added that the public hearings are set to be conducted in every city, municipality, and barangay of Negros Oriental, assisted by its security partners, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC) headed by Commissioner Aimee P. Ferolino. PNP Chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. recently had a courtesy call with Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia. The latter asked Acorda to accompany him to Negros Oriental to conduct the consultations. "He said yes immediately. I also intend to talk to the AFP Chief if he can join us there," Garcia told reporters. Garcia also mentioned that they may head to the province in the third week of June.