BARELY a week before the elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will be meeting with the various law enforcement agencies in Negros Occidental including the Armed Forces Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police to finalize their preparations.Comelec Provincial Supervisor lawyer Roberto Salazar said there are still 18 Election Watch list Areas (Ewas) in Negros Occidental.Salazar said that on Friday, April 29, they already had a meeting with the Regional Joint Security Control Center in Iloilo City.During the meeting, the officials from Police Regional Office (PRO)-Western Visayas, 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, and the Coast Guard District Western Visayas gave their updates with regards to their respective preparations for the polls.Among their responsibilities include security for both the polling precincts and logistics for the election-related materials.Salazar said the agencies gave their commitment to ensuring the peace during Election Day.Meanwhile, the Department of Education (DepEd) in Negros Occidental also held refresher briefings over the weekend for the teachers who will serve as election workers.At a meeting between Comelec and DepEd last week, they found a few problems regarding the facilities that will serve as polling precincts, like inadequate lights, especially as voting time is until 7 p.m.However, the local government units have already pledged to address this concern.Both the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines and local power cooperatives are also hard at work conducting maintenance on the province’s power lines in order to make sure that there are no power interruptions during election day.Negros Occidental has a total of 2,906 precincts.