BACOLOD CITY  – Provincial heads of the Commission on Elections in Western Visayas will be reshuffled starting Feb. 4 in preparation for the elections in May.

Negros Occidental Election Supervisor Jessie Suarez said he has already received an order for his transfer to Iloilo Province.

He said he received Thursday Resolution No. 9626 stating the re-assignments of provincial election supervisors (PES) nationwide.

Suarez, who is ranked PES IV, will be succeeded Capiz Election Supervisor Wil Arceño, who will be replaced by Iloilo Province Comelec head Elizabeth Doronila.

Aklan Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria will be reassigned to Antique, whose Comelec head Gil Barcenal will be re-assigned to Guimaras, whose Comelec head Roberto Salazar of Guimaras will be transferred to Aklan.

The re-assignments will take effect until June 12, 2013.

Resolution No. 9686 dated Jan. 30 stated the reshuffling is being enforced to enhance the efficiency, competence, integrity and absolute impartiality within the commission.

The Comelec is strengthening its efforts and preparations towards the coming automated national and local elections on May 13, it added.

An order for the reshuffling of town and city election officers is also expected, Suarez said.

Among the regions, Western Visayas has the fifth largest number of voters.

Region 6 has 4,049,641 voters with 6,486 clustered precincts in 3,555 voting centers.

In Western Visayas, Negros Occidental and Bacolod City have the highest number of voters at 1,574,784. Negros Occidental has 1,315,482 registered voters while Bacolod City has 259,302, Suarez said.

Iloilo Province and Iloilo City have a total of 1,270,100 voters, followed by Capiz, 457,379; Aklan, 328,642; Antique, 318,214; and Guimaras with 100,521.

ELECTION HOTSPOT

Meanwhile, Suarez said La Castellana, the site of the Jan. 27 ambush that killed a policeman and eight civilians, has been added to the election watchlist areas in Negros Occidental.

He said that during the 2010 elections, the municipality was placed under Category 2 but it was no longer included in list released on the third week of January.

“It was eventually delisted because the area became peaceful,” Suarez said.

But during the meeting of the  Provincial Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center earlier this week, La Castellana again listed under Category 2, which means armed groups exist in the area, bringing to 12 the number of towns and cities in Negros Occidental placed on the election watchlist.*