As polls approach, 7 areas in Cebu tagged as ‘areas of concern’
Map of Cebu | Wikimedia Commons File
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu province remains free from any election hotspots, a week before the May 9 polls will take place.
The Commission on Elections in Cebu (Comelec-Cebu), however, identified at least seven ‘areas of concern’ that should be closely monitored due to its history of election-related violence, political rivalry, and geographical location.
This was among the discussions during the final security briefing for the upcoming elections held between election officials, the local police, and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) last Monday, May 2.
“Naa tay areas, although minimal, mga areas nga gi tan-aw nga areas of concern. Pero dili gyud nato sila matawag o mabutang sa election hotspot,” said Lawyer Jerome Brillantes, acting Provincial Elections supervisor of Comelec-Cebu.
These areas of concern included the towns of Madridejos, Daanbantayan, San Fernando, Bogo City, and portions of Camotes Island.
According to Brillantes, these locations should be closely monitored and should be provided with additional security to ensure peace and order there.
“Whenever naay muspark and volatile kaayo ang situation so at least, ready na ta… Wa man gud ta kabalo gud (unsay mahitabo),” he explained.
(If there is a spark and the situation is so volatile so at least we are already ready…we don’t know what will happen.)
In the meantime, the Comelec-Cebu top official said they were ‘101 percent’ ready for the upcoming elections which were now a week away.
“We’re 101 percent ready kasi our ballot boxes are now in place, nadeliver last Saturday. It was successful. VCM (vote-counting machines) nato, niabot second week of April. So everything is in place na,” Brillantes added.
(We’re 101 percent ready because our ballot boxes are now in place, they were delivered last Saturday. It was successful. The VCM [vote counting machines] arrived on the second week of April. So everything is already in place.)
Cebu is the country’s most vote-rich province, with over 3.2 million expected to cast their ballots this May 9, 2022.
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