By Jovy T. Gerodias and Mia E. Abellana
OFFICIALS see no need to place Lapu-Lapu City under the elections watch list.
Election officers met with their counterparts in the police and military yesterday morning and discussed some problems about the enforcement of election laws and procedures.
“We can say there is nothing serious insofar as peace and order is concerned. Nothing earth-shaking,” Commission on Elections (Comelec) 7 Director Rene Rey Buac told reporters after the conference.
As for Lapu-Lapu City, it is not included in the watch list, even after the involvement of supporters of politicians in a shooting last Saturday.
Lapu-Lapu City Police Director Mariano Natuel said it was clear the motive was not related to politics although “there is a political color.”
He said their connections to political candidates gave the case political color.
Election and police officials did not identify any areas that are now in the elections watch list.
Buac said the areas being considered are in Bogo City in Northern Cebu, La Libertad in Northern Negros Oriental and Central Bohol.
He said they will give special attention to these places “because of a possibility (of the occurence of violence), not an actuality.”
He added that they did not even mean the whole city or municipality, but just two or three barangays.
Though earlier, police said there were 13 areas under the watch list, Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Lani-o Nerez said changes could be made as the need arose.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) will be initiating an assessment on the political situation in the City to see if there is a need to declare any area under election areas of concern.
Earlier, CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador said the city’s south district will be the police’s top security priority in the coming May polls, but did not see the need for this area to be considered an area of concern.
He cited intense political rivalry in Cebu City’s south district, where both Mayor Tomas Osmena and businessman Jonathan Guardo are gunning for the post in the House of Representatives, as the reason.
Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on February 2, 2010.
