EWAs in Negros Oriental
The newly assigned OIC Philippine National Police (PNP) provincial director of Negros Oriental, Sr. Superintendent Harris Fama, has announced the disclosing of the majority of the election watch list areas in the province has been moved to the 1st district.
The first districts wherein the watch list is precisely designated are in the cities and municipalities of Canlaon, Guihulngan, Manjuyod, Bindoy, Ayungon, Tayasan, Jimalalud, La Libertad and Vallehermoso.
Sr. Superintendent Harris Fama also said that the he will decline to identify the validated areas, wherein the Philippine National Police further disclosed, until the list has been submitted to the Commission on Election in the Province.
What is EWAs?
It is widely known that Negros Oriental is among the six “hotspot” when it comes to election. The election watch list areas or EWAs can be determined due to certain parameters. And at the provincial level, certain parameters are being classified and considered for the EWAs.
The first category of the EWAs includes presence of or reports of intense political rivalry in a particular area. Second category would be areas with reports of threat groups such as criminal gangs, private armed security forces or bodyguards and “dissidents” such as the New People’s Army. The third and the last category include a combination of categories 1 and 2.
The COMELEC here is headed by Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Eddie Aba. According to him, Negros Oriental has 557 barangays and 1, 284 clustered voting precincts and 785, 912 registered voters based on its COMELEC records.
