Nine mayors from Negros Oriental led by the widow of Governor Roel Degamo expressed their support for the postponement of this year’s Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections in the province, claiming that peace and order concerns there need to be addressed.
“We firmly believe that this necessary action (postponement of BSKE) is crucial to address the peace and order concerns that have plagued our province,” the mayors said in a joint statement.
Signatories to the manifesto are Governor Degamo’s widow Janice Degamo of Pamplona town, Fritz Diaz of Siaton, Felipe Remollo of Dumaguete City, Galicano Truita of Dauin, Mel Nick Logronio of San Jose, Eniego Jabagat of
Bindoy, Dennis Amancio of Ayungon, Filomeno Reyes of Guihulngan City, and Susano Ruperto of Tayasan.
The nine mayors also cited security-related reasons, including the March assassination of former Governor Degamo which also led to the death of nine others.
The mayors’ statement came days before the Commission on Election starts its province-wide public consultations and on the proposed postponement from June 27 to 29.
Comelec’s decision to postpone the polls in the province may be disclosed by the end of September or the start of October, poll chairman George Garcia said Sunday, adding they were about 95 percent ready for the nationwide village elections.
“We are about 95% ready. We just have to print ballots for those who registered from December 12 to January 31,” Garcia said in a radio dzBB interview.
The Comelec chairman said the public consultation in Negros Oriental will start on Tuesday and will last for three to four days.
“Our intention is actually to comply with our commitment to the hearing in the Senate wherein we said we will not immediately declare a postponement of an election in an area. We must first listen to our constituents in the area who may be affected by a postponement of the election,” he said.
During a Senate inquiry into the killing of Gov. Degamo, Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino asked the poll body to examine the possibility of holding off the elections amid the political violence in the province.
Garcia said the Comelec has not yet received a petition to postpone the BSKE, which is set on October 30, but pointed out that the poll body has a motu proprio function to do so.
Should the elections be moved to a later date, the poll chairman said the village elections still need to be conducted not 30 days later.
In their statement, the Negros mayors claimed that the “lingering atmosphere of terror” has instilled deep-rooted fear among the voters in the region, making them hesitant to oppose political machinery and the accompanying harassment tactics.
The mayors said that despite extensive media coverage and Senate panel hearings related to their governor’s death, deep-rooted fear still persists in the province.
“The fear, though not only expressed, lingers within the hearts and minds of our constituents, making it challenging for them to exercise their democratic rights freely and without coercion,” the statement said.
“Postponing the elections will allow us to address this profound fear and hesitation that continues to undermine the electoral process in Negros Oriental. It provides an opportunity for concerted efforts to dismantle the culture of fear, instill confidence in the voters, and ensure a truly free and fair electoral environment,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, Garcia said the ballot printing for the latest batch of BSKE registrants was delayed due to the 491,000 double or multiple registrants identified by the Election Registration Board.
The Comelec had started filing cases against 7,000 individuals with double or multiple registrations, but Garcia explained that those with double registrations could still vote but would have to face criminal charges.
These double or multiple registrations would be removed by the Election Registration Board, which would convene before the October 2023 BSKE.
“The clean and orderly national voters list will be available by the first week of August,” Garcia added, noting around 1.5 million new voters had registered by January 31.
There are 91 million voters in the country, of which 25 million are Sangguniang Kabataan voters and 66 million are regular voters, according to Garcia. With this, the Comelec estimated that the total number of voters had increased to 92.5 million.