Negros Oriental under Comelec control

Unlike the boring elections in Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor, the October 30 barangay and SK elections are bound to be more exciting and even turbulent. As a consequence of the murder of Governor Roel Degamo, the original clamor in Negros Oriental was for the postponement of the barangay and SK elections this year. But after a series of public consultations, the Commission on Elections came to the conclusion that there was, after all, no need for such a postponement. The eventual decision was to place the entire province under Comelec control.

Our research shows that by placing an area under its control, the Comelec will have direct supervision over government entities in the area and will have full control over all its law enforcement agencies during the election period. That means that the Comelec can give direct orders to the police and other government agencies without going through the usual bureaucratic red tape.

Why then is Negros Oriental given this special treatment while the nearby provinces, including Negros Occidental are operating under standard protocols and processes? Well, the answer is obvious: More than any other place in the Visayas, this area will experience more heated election contests between whatever remains respectively of the camps of the Teveses and the Degamos and their respective allies.

Negros Oriental comprises 19 municipalities and six cities which contain a total of 557 barangays, all in an area of 5,385.53 square kilometers. It has a total population of 1,432,990 residents as of the 2020 census. It ranks 19 out of 81 provinces nationwide in terms of area. In population, however, it is only 35th. Dumaguete, its capital, is the smallest among the six component cities but with the largest population. The three congressional districts are represented respectively by Jocelyn Sy-Limkaichong, for the first, Manuel T. Sagarbarria of the second, and the third one is vacant after Arnie Teves was expelled by the House.

The 1st District comprises the cities of Canlaon in the north, and Guihulngan in the central part, and the municipalities of Vallehermoso, La Libertad, Jimalalud, Tayasan, Ayungon, Bindoy, and Manjuyod. Its population is 445,970. The 2nd District is composed of the three cities of Tanjay, Dumaguete, and Bais and the five municipalities of Amlan, Mabinay, Pamplona, San Jose, and Sibulan. Its population is 535,632. The 3rd District, which is the most controversial being the bailiwick of the Teveses, is composed of the city of Bayawan and the seven municipalities of Bacong, Basay, Dauin, Santa Catalina, Siaton, Valencia, and Zamboanguita. It has a population of 451,388.

Unlike the politics in Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor, the other provinces in Region 7, which are relatively peaceful, in Negros Oriental, there seems to be a lingering political tension, some incidence of violence, and the well-known presence of NPA remnants and other armed groups.

Not so long ago, the NPA conducted a series of ambushes and intermittent raids resulting in the deaths and disappearances of a number of police officers and men, as well as alleged police assets and supporters of the military and the PNP. There are indeed abundant reasons to place this province under Comelec control in order to avoid any disruption of the coming barangay and SK polls.

The struggles of the Teves camp and its supporters to recapture political domination in the province, as well as the spirited moves of the Degamo allies to consolidate their past electoral gains are expected to trigger a series of heated contests in the village levels. These are also in preparation for the 2025 elections for governor, congressmen, and mayors, which are all preludes to the 2028 presidential polls.

We all watch from afar with hopes and prayer for a clean, honest, peaceful, and credible electoral process in our neighboring province of Negros Oriental, even as we do not expect any electoral tremors in Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor.