BACOLOD CITY – A total of 310 policemen here will be tapped to augment security forces in Negros Oriental for the May 12 midterm elections, Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Negros Island Region (NIR) Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano said.

BRIG. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, commander of the Army 303rd Infantry Brigade (IBde), Commission on Elections (Comelec)-Negros Island Region (NIR) Regional Director Lionel Marco Castillano, and Police Brig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, regional director of Police Regional Office-NIR, attend the third Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) meeting at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office headquarters in Barangay Agan-an, Sibulan, Negros Oriental on Monday, April 28. (Photo via Negros Oriental Police/FB)
Castillano said that the augmentation force from the Bacolod City Police Office will be deployed to Negros Oriental three days before the elections.
Castillano said that this city has fewer voting centers but has more than 1,000 police personnel.
Despite temporarily pulling out 310 policemen here, Castillano assured the people of this city that there is nothing to worry as peace and order will still reign during the elections here.
The Police Regional Office (PRO)-7 (Central Visayas) had earlier deployed 200 personnel to augment and ensure smooth elections in Negros Oriental. However, with the reactivation of PRO-NIR, these personnel have returned to their original unit.
For areas of concern, Castillano said that La Libertad town and Guihulngan City remain under red category or areas with serious armed threats and history of election-related incidents, while the rest of the towns and cities were placed under yellow category or with a history of election-related incidents.
The Comelec is expected to release a new list of areas of concern next week. This will be the guide on the deployment of security forces in a priority area, he said.
In 2023, the province was placed under Comelec control to ensure the peaceful conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections (BSKE), following the killing of then Gov. Roel Degamo at his residence in Pamplona town on March 4.
Castillano said that the campaign in the province is peaceful, as the political noise is more evident on social media. “There’s no untoward incident and no private armed groups monitored in the whole region,” he added.
He said that the threat from the New People’s Army (NPA) is negligible as focused military operations on insurgency are ongoing.
The Comelec-NIR held its third Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC) meeting on Monday, April 28, at the Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office headquarters in Barangay Agan-an, Sibulan town to discuss the deployment plans for the elections, contingency measures for Kanlaon Volcano, and future coordination efforts.