By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The conduct of the local and national elections in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental on May 13 was generally peaceful.

Police Colonel Henry Biñas, officer-in-charge of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), said no election-related incidents or any untoward incidents were reported yesterday.

Though there were reports on vote buying a day before the election day, Biñas said their verification turned out to be negative.

There was no apprehension of liquor ban violators as well, as of Monday afternoon.

For his part, Police Major Edison Garcia, public information officer of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (Nocppo), said the province was also peaceful, though election offenses were reported such as vote buying in the towns of Moises Padilla and E.B. Magalona.

Police were able to arrest some individuals for the said offense and will be charged accordingly.

Despite such reports, Garcia said the voters were still able to exercise their right to suffrage.

Meanwhile, Police Lieutenant General Fernando Mendez Jr., deputy police chief for administration of the Philippine National Police (PNP), met with the top officials of the Philippine Army and local police at Nocppo headquarters yesterday to remind them about the guidelines in providing security for the elections.

He also went to Moises Padilla town to personally check the situation, after it was placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), following the killings of a re-electionist councilor and his uncle in the town last month.