Cebu has new election chief

CEBU, Philippines — Lawyer Jerome Brilliantes assumed office yesterday as provincial election supervisor (PES) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Cebu.

Brilliantes temporarily replaced Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, who took former’s post as PES in Siquijor.

Siquijor has only three towns, while Cebu has 53 cities and towns.

Despite this, Brilliantes said he will not have a hard time adjusting because he was assigned before to other provinces with around 50 towns.

“Even if Siquijor is small, it’s not a problem for me. I can manage,” he said.

The Comelec said the switch will only last until June. It is one of the regular measures undertaken by the poll body to prevent issues on biases and partiality among election officers.

In previous switch cycles, Brilliantes was assigned in Bohol in 2016 and Cebu in 2019. He started to serve as a PES in Siquijor in 2013.

The new PES is yet to meet with the election officers assigned in each of the cities and towns, as well as the high-ranking officials in the province.

Moreover, he urged both the candidates and their respective supporters not to resort to violence in order to keep a “peaceful elections.”

“Cebu is not actually EWAs (Election Watchlist Area). What we have here is intense political rivalry. More on war on principles and ideas,” he said.

He said he is yet to learn about the election hotspots in Cebu which will be reported to him by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

He said the “tightness” of the security protocols will be adjusted based on the PNP threat assessment. (FREEMAN)