CEBU CITY – Authorities in Central Visayas took a crucial step towards achieving a peaceful and fair election in May by opening the Regional Election Monitoring Action Center (REMEC) here on Thursday, Jan. 9.
THE Regional Election Monitoring Action Center at the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas opens on Jan. 9 to help achieve a peaceful May elections. (Contributed photo)
Atty. Francisco Pobe, regional director of the Commission on Elections-Central Visayas (Comelec-7), and Police Brig. Gen. Dionisio Bartolome, officer-in-charge of the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO-7), led the opening of the center inside the PRO-7 headquarters.
Pobe said the center will host the Regional Joint Security Control Center Command Conference where the situation in every province in the region will be known once the election period starts on Sunday, Jan. 12.
“This will be the coordinating office where we can get statistical data and at the same time monitor all the activities, incidents or non-incidents for that matter so we will know the status during the election period,” Pobe said.
Pobe said that so far, the PRO-7 and the Armed Forces Visayas Command have yet to record any election-related incidents in Region 7, composed of the provinces of Bohol and Cebu.
The PRO-7 assured that its personnel will remain apolitical.
Bartolome said they have released guidelines urging personnel to follow what is mandated by law.
Pobe said that the Comelec-7 will monitor candidates who may take advantage of the Sinulog Festival. He warned that using the Sinulog to woo votes will be considered as an election offense.