Due to NPA'S strong presence PRO-7 names Negros Oriental 'priority province' in polls

DUMAGUETE CITY— The Police Regional Office-7 yesterday named Negros Oriental a "priority province" for the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, citing the strong presence of New People's Army rebels in this province.

Chief Superintendent Robert Quenery, PRO-7 regional director, during his visit to Dumaguete City yesterday, said Negros Oriental's insurgency problem is a "special concern."

Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (NORPPO) Director, Senior Superintendent Edwin Portento, said, "When it comes to insurgency, tayo ang pina-prioritize over the other provinces in Region 7, kasi sa other provinces, very low na yung insurgency problem nila."

Because of this, PRO-7 will make sure that it will channel its resources — particularly police personnel — to the NORPPO. Portento, however, said that while PRO-7 will give NORPPO a number of requested police officers, NORPPO will have to maximize its own resources first.

In Negros Oriental, the number of barangays classified as election hotspots ranges from 62 to 79; the final number is yet to be discussed in the police's workshop with the military and is set to be released on Friday.

Most of these barangays are located in the north, such as Guihulngan City, and the towns of Mabinay, Tayasan, and Ayungon. Some are in the south, such as Bayawan City, and the towns of Santa Catalina, and Pamplona.

Portento added that, compared to other areas in Region 7, it is only in Negros Oriental where there is a significant presence of NPA rebels.

"Wala naman tayong nabalitaan sa Cebu o Bohol na may namatay na chief of police sa ambush dahil may chineck na incident, dito lang yun sa atin," Portento told reporters, referring to the NPA ambush in Guihulngan City in July 2017 that resulted in the killing of six policemen, including the chief of the Guihulngan Police, Superintendent Arnel Arpon.

Nevertheless, Portento assured the public that the police force in Negros Oriental is 90 percent ready for the polls and are awaiting deployment on election day. He also told reporters that NORPPO will coordinate with the military to ensure that no NPA rebels will be running for barangay or SK posts in the May 14 elections.

There are more than 200 fully-armed NPA members operating in Negros Island, according to 62nd Infantry Battalion commander Lieutenant Colonel Darrell Bañez. "Two hundred is threatening. Even two or three are threatening, kasi armado sila," he told The Freeman.

Meanwhile, two areas in Bayawan City and Pamplona have been initially identified as hotly contested areas due to intense political rivalry. One of these, Barangay Kalamtukan in Bayawan, was where a barangay councilman and six others were ambushed by unidentified gunmen on March 25. A woman, Gloria Cornel, was killed in the incident.