Comelec studying barangay polls postponement in Negros Oriental

Public hearings will be conducted in Negros Oriental this month to see if there's a need to postpone the upcoming 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections  in the light of the "political violence" in the province,  the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Friday.

In a statement, Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco said this is to assess the current situation, particularly the peace and order status, and "determine the sentiments of its constituents relative to the proposal to postpone the upcoming BSKE."

During an earlier Senate inquiry into the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo, Senators Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Francis Tolentino asked the poll body to look into the possibility of holding off the elections amid the political violence in the province.

The senators also cited recent surveys showing that people in Region VIl are agreeable to postponing the BSKE.

The public hearings will be conducted in every city, municipality, and barangay of Negros Oriental, with the Comelec being assisted by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), through the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC) headed by Commissioner Aimee Ferolino.—Sherylin Untalan/LDF, GMA Integrated News