BACOLOD CITY – Five days before the special election on June 2, the two congressional candidates in the Fifth District of Negros Occidental signed a peace covenant in rites held at the Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. yesterday.

Binalbagan Mayor Alejandro Mirasol and Board Member Emilio Yulo III

vowed to support the holding of an honest, peaceful, and orderly election in their district, in the presence of police, military, and election officials.

The signing rites was witnessed by Provincial Election Supervisor Jessie Suarez; Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, provincial police director; and Col. Oscar Lactao, commander of the Army's 303rd Infantry Brigade.

Both Mirasol and his nephew, Yulo, are running for the post vacated by Rep. Ignacio Arroyo, who passed away last January due to a liver ailment.

The Fifth District covers the municipalities of La Castella, Isabela, Moises Padilla, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan, and the city of Himamaylan.

The Commission on Elections has set aside a P21.6-million fund for the special election.

Suarez said he sees a peaceful conduct of the special election, but he also

expects the campaign to heat up days before June 2.

On the part of the military, Lactao said they are increasing visibility operations in the hinterlands particularly especially in the six barangays classified as rebel-influenced areas.

Last weekend, Suarez and Lactao joined Supt. Leo Irwin Agpangan, deputy provincial police director for administration, in visiting the areas covered by the Fifth District to assess the implementation of the security plans.

The police will assign its 700 personnel to man the 117 polling precincts, and secure its outside perimeters while the military will deploy 500 soldiers to reinforce the policemen.

Thirty-eight 38 polling precincts have been categorized as difficult to reach due to inaccessibility of transportation, but no barangay has been categorized as an "election watch list area."*NLG