DAILY STAR: Negros Oriental

Commission on Elections Negros Oriental Supervisor Eddie Aba said yesterday that 277 elective positions will be contested in the May 13, 2013 elections.

These are for governor, vice governor, 10 members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, three slots in the House of Representatives, 25 city and town mayors, 25 city and town vice mayors, and 212 members for both the sangguniang panlungsod and bayan of the five cities and 20 towns of the province.

Aba said the COMELEC is ready for the filing of the certificates of candidacy of those running for various posts, from October 1 to 5. Candidates for governor, vice governor, Sangguniang Panlalawigan, and congressional district should file their COCs at the provincial COMELEC office, and the rest at the offices of the Commission in the towns and cities.

Meeting with mountaineers
on disaster preparedness set
BY JUANCHO GALLARDE

The Commission on Elections said a drug test is no longer required for persons intending to file their certificates of candidacy from October 1 to 5, after the Supreme Court declared such requirement as unconstitutional.

Negros Oriental provincial election officer Eddie Aba said the drug test requirement was questioned before the SC in the 2007 elections.

He added that the election period will start January 13 to June 12, 2013, and that the gun ban will be strictly implemented during the period. Prohibited acts include the alteration of the territory of a precinct, establishment of new precincts, transfer or movement of officers and employees in the civil service, and suspension of elective local officials.

Family welfare support program
for soldiers, wives conducted
BY JUDY F. PARTLOW

The Philippine Army 302nd Infantry Brigade based in Tanjay City, Negros Oriental conducted a Family Welfare Support program for its soldiers and their wives yesterday to strengthen family ties and marital relationships.

At least 20 couples, some from Iloilo, Cebu and Bacolod, attended the activity that focused on family planning, responsible parenthood and marriage enrichment.

Col. Francisco Patrimonio, Brigade commander, said there is a high incidence of failed marriages in the military because of the nature of the job. He said soldiers are always on the go, and the unity of the family is affected as they are away most of the time. In many cases, the wife is left to take care of the children and acts as both mother and father, and the husband becomes vulnerable to temptation, he added.

Email: visayandailystar@yahoo.com