MANILA, Philippines — The barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Negros Oriental are set to proceed on October 30, despite appeals for postponement due to concerns on peace and security.
Commission on Elections chair George Garcia said Monday that the barangay and SK elections in Negros Oriental will push through, simultaneously with the rest of the country.
“Based on the documents, papers, and evidence we gathered from areas where the Comelec conducted three days of hearings, we overwhelmingly proved that residents there want the elections to proceed on October 30,” Garcia said in Filipino.
The province, however, will be placed under the poll body’s control “to ensure that residents can vote on election day,” according to Garcia.
Mayors from nine municipalities and cities in Negros Oriental had earlier called on the Comelec to postpone the barangay and SK elections in the province, citing the “lingering atmosphere of terror.”
One of the signatories was Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, the widow of late Gov. Roel Degamo, who, along with nine others, was killed in an assassination on March 4.
Arnolfo Teves Jr., the alleged mastermind of the assassination, has been tagged a terrorist by the government and has been expelled from the House of Representatives.