By JOEY NACALABAN, Correspondent .
THE director of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region 10 over the weekend frowned over the designation of Cagayan de Oro as an election hotspot this year.
To categorize the city as an area of immediate concern is unreasonable, according to Comelec regional director Reynato Magbutay who expressed disbelief over the declaration.
Magbutay explained that the Comelec has three categories for problematic areas. These are “areas of concern,” “areas of immediate concern,” and “areas under Comelec control.”
“Since Cagayan de Oro is placed under the category of ‘area of immediate concern,’ it only means there is a probability that something not good will happen… especially if that specific city has an insurgency problem,” he said.
Magbutay said the military may deploy soldiers to help in keeping any problematic place peaceful and orderly during the elections which is why the second-level category of Cagayan de Oro “is not reasonable.”
He said he has been serving in Region 10 for years enough to know that Cagayan de Oro has no history of intense electionelated violence.
Camp Alagar was also caught aback by the declaration that the city is an area of “immediate of grave concern.”
The declaration reportedly came from the central office of the Comelec, but Camp Alagar spokesman Supt. Surki Sereñas Camp Crame may have had a hand on this.
Sereñas said Camp Crame may have based its assesment of Cagayan de Oro incidence of violence like the 2016 ambush of the then Marawi mayor Fajad Salic near Pryce Plaza.
Another, he said, was the shooting death of former Kadingilan, Bukidnon Mayor Joelito Talaid on Masterson Ave. in upper Carmen on Dec. 22, 2018.
Sereñas said the Salic ambush and the Talaid murder had nothing to do with Cagayan de Oro politics.
He said authorities and Comelec officials here would bring the matter to their superiors so this concern could be discussed when police, military and Comelec officials meet.
“Lain kaayo paminawon nga ang Cagayan de Oro usa sa mga hotspots sa Northern Mindanao,” Sereñas said.
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