BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – The Commission on Elections is monitoring the reported presence of guns-for-hire in Negros Occidental.
“We have received raw information on their presence… we will discuss this with the police and Army,” provincial elections supervisor Jessie Suarez said yesterday.
“They are for the highest bidder. They are for the money… We have to monitor them to preempt them from aligning themselves with partisan groups,” Suarez said.
Suarez said they are monitoring the towns of Hinigaran, Binalbagan, Isabela, Moises Padilla and La Castella and Himamaylan City due to “intense political rivalry” among the candidates. He said the areas are not on the election watchlist of the police.
He said he would ask the candidates to sign a peace covenant to ensure orderly and peaceful elections in May.
“Let us conduct our campaign on a high level and let us not resort to hiring armed groups,” he said.