MANILA, Philippines – Stakeholders in Negros Oriental are divided over whether the Commission on Elections (Comelec) should postpone the barangay and Sangguniang elections scheduled there on October 30.

In Dumaguete City, a public hearing on the matter on Tuesday, June 27, yielded more people speaking against the proposal, but on the other side of the fence, numerous local chief executives banded together to underscore the importance of postponement.

Here’s where they stand on the matter.

For postponement: Dumaguete Mayor Felipe Remollo and Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo

Nine mayors who signed a manifesto released on Sunday, June 25, have said the killing of governor Roel Degamo in March raised significant concerns regarding peace and security.

They added that the political machinery of the alleged mastermind even in past killings remains intact, “creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.”

“While it may be perceived as relatively peaceful in Negros Oriental at present, with fewer reported incidents due to the exposés in the Senate hearing and the media’s concentration on the Degamo case, the underlying fear persists,” the statement read.

“The absence of camera coverage and media attention leaves a void where intimidation can silently thrive in the darkness, impacting the mindset of the voters,” it added.

The signatories are:

• Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo (Roel Degamo’s widow)
• Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo
• Guihulngan City Mayor Filomeno Reyes
• Siaton Mayor Cezanne Fritz Diaz
• Ayungon Mayor Dennis Amancio
• Bindoy Mayor Eniego Jabagat
• Dauin Mayor Galiciano Truita
• San Jose Mayor Mel Nick Logronio
• Tayasan Mayor Susano Antonio Ruperto

For postponement: Diocese of Dumaguete, local chapters of PPCRV, Namfrel

The Diocesan Electoral Board and local chapters of election watchdogs Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections want to delay the polls by 30 days.

They said a postponement would allow security forces to concentrate their efforts in the province, since the elections there won’t be held in simulcast with the rest of the Philippines.

“The high-handed manipulation by partisan politics is clearly visible in the barangay level and must be stopped,” The Diocese Electoral Board said in a statement on Tuesday. “Keeping it in utmost attention should at least minimize the intimidation and coercion of voters, as well as slow down the money flow of vote-buying in the province.”

Against postponement: Negros Oriental Governor Chaco Sagarbarria and Vice Governor Jaime Reyes

The province’s top leaders believe that the October 30 elections should push through.

They are banking on police data that the number of crime incidents in the province in the 100 days after Degamo’s assassination was lower compared to the same time frame prior to the attack.

From March 5 to June 12, 1,555 crime incidents were recorded, lower than the 1,849 crime incidents recorded from November 28, 2022 to March 4.

“It is unfair if we base the situation of our province on hearsay. We need to have empirical data like this. No other than our police force is giving us full data of what is happening in the peace and order situation in our province,” provincial administrator Arthur Fran Tolcidas, who was speaking on behalf of Governor Chaco Sagarbarria, said on Tuesday.

“If the peace and order situation situation in Negros Oriental is generally peaceful, he agreed to push through with the election scheduled on October 30, 2023,” said Jasmine Angcon, speaking on behalf of Vice Governor Jaime Reyes.

The provincial board, as well as Negros Oriental 1st District Representative Josy Limkaichong, also objected to the proposed deferment of the polls.

Against postponement: Several Dumaguete City councilors

Dumaguete Councilor Rey Lyndon Lawas claimed he and his fellow councilors have not discussed taking a single stand on the issue of postponement, yet all of them who spoke during the first part of the public hearing on Tuesday said a postponement of the polls is unnecessary.

“We are conditioning the minds of the people that the situation in Negros Oriental is scary, so as a people, let’s check what its effect would be on our economy and tourism,” Lawas said.

Sangguniang Kabataan federation president in Dumaguete City Renz Macion, an ex-officio member of the city council, also lamented the impact of the postponement on aspiring youth leaders who wanted to serve but could no longer do so because of age constraints.

“We believe that it is unfair to further delay the electoral process and deny these aspiring leaders to participate and shape their respective barangays,” Macion said.

Against postponement: Negros Oriental business community

Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Edward Du said that after listening to reports of the police and the military that the situation in Negros Oriental is generally peaceful, he no longer sees the need to reschedule the date of the elections in the province.

“There is no sufficient ground. There is no terrorism, violence, insurrection, rebellion, and all the other grounds are not present,” he said.

What the Comelec says

The Comelec said it will not tally the number of people for and against the postponement after the three-day public hearing, and instead evaluate the quality of the arguments presented by stakeholders.

A decision will be made in September, not immediately after the public hearings conclude, according to Comelec Chairman George Garcia.

The Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines guaranteed they are ready to deploy additional forces should the Comelec decide to conduct the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Negros Oriental as scheduled in October. – Rappler.com