REASSIGNMENT. Lawyer Eliseo Labaria (in photo) has been designated as acting Provincial Election Supervisor of Negros Oriental, swapping places with Lawyer Eddie Aba who will be assigned to Bohol, for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. The temporary designation of both Comelec officials was approved by the poll body's chairperson, George Erwin Garcia. (Photo by Judy Flores Partlow)
DUMAGUETE CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reshuffled two provincial election supervisors (PES) in Central Visayas (Region 7) in preparation for the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Negros Oriental election supervisor lawyer Eddie Aba swapped places with his Bohol provincial counterpart, Lawyer Eliseo Labaria. Both will be functioning in an acting capacity.
Comelec Regional Election Director for Central Visayas, Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday that both are now preparing for the office turnover, although their reassignments took effect on July 17.
“Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia approved the reshuffling and I have issued an order from my level for the temporary change of assignments,” Castillano said.
They will be serving in their new posts until the end of December, he added.
Cebu and Siquijor provinces are not affected by the reshuffle.
Asked why Labaria was moved to Negros Oriental, Castillano said that among the provincial election supervisors in the region, he is the most experienced in addressing security concerns.
“We all know that we have a security situation in Negros Oriental and that efforts are underway at the national level to ensure the safety of everyone during the conduct of the barangay and SK polls,” he said referring to the peace and order in the province marred by the assassination of Governor Roel Degamo in Pamplona town last March.
Subsequent events, including the arrest of suspects and the naming of suspended Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. (3rd district Negros Oriental) as the alleged mastermind in the killings, led to calls from some quarters to postpone the nationwide BSKE on Oct. 30 to another date in the province.
Asked whether the reshuffling was a prelude to placing Negros Oriental under Comelec control, which the poll body’s en banc has yet to decide, Castillano said.
Meanwhile, Police Provincial Director Col. Ronan Claravall said the security forces were ready to secure the province should it be placed under Comelec control.
Some 100 additional personnel from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion in Region 7 have recently arrived here to keep the province’s peace and order. (PNA)
