Despite the recent ambush-slay of a barangay captain and six other civilians in La Libertad, Oriental Negros, the town is not considered an election "hotspot" by the Commission on Election, provincial election supervisor Manuel Advincula said.

Advincula brushed aside reports that the police provincial office under S/Supt. Ramon Melvin Buenafe and the military had already declared the town as a hotspot after initial investigation showed that, the recent ambush-slay in the place was politically-motivated, since the barangay captain was a staunch supporter of Mayor Joselyn Limkaichong. Limkaichong is seeking the first district congressional post in the May 14 elections and will be running against Olive Paras, the wife of incumbent Rep. Jacinto Paras (1st District, NegOr), and his brother, former Rep. Jerome Paras.

Advincula cautioned the public against speculating on election hotspots or even areas of immediate concern in the province as there is not a single area that falls under such classification to date.

He added that a certain area can only be declared an election hotspot if there is proved to be intense political rivalry, among other parameters that have to be considered.

Advincula said it was premature to declare La Libertad as a hotspot, citing several reasons, among them, that no one has yet officially filed his/her certificate of candidacy; the afternoon ambush was just an isolated case without the motive, or perpetrators having been identified/confirmed; there is no "daily" or regular election-related violence taking place in the area, and, there is no intense political rivalry in that town.

At sundown Sunday, a truckload of adults and children were on their way to Barangay Aya, La Libertad from the town proper when unidentified men opened fire at them.

Though the police have initially said the incident could be politically-motivated, Advincula said there are other angles to be considered as well, such as, it was the possible handiwork of rebels in the northern part of Negros island.

COMELEC Resolution No. 7773 states that once a hotspot has been declared, this will be a prelude for the poll body to take over and manage the affairs of that local government.

In recent elections, no area has been placed under COMELEC control, and this remains to be the same goal of the election officials in Oriental Negros this year - to make the May 14 polls an honest, orderly and peaceful one, Advincula stressed. *JG

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