The new record is lower than the previous 46 towns in the EWAS or election watchlist areas category.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said the latest figures were the result of the recent meeting of the Regional Security Control Center (RJSCC).
The RJSCC is composed of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), PNP, Armed Forces of the Philippines, among others.
The following is the breakdown of the towns per classification:
Yellow (Areas of Concern) – 16
Orange (Immediate Concern) – 23
Red (Grave Concern) – 4
Areas in category Green do not have security concern or are considered relatively peaceful.
Of the 133 towns and cities, 90 are in the Green category.
Under the guidelines, towns or cities shall be placed under the Category 1 or Yellow classification upon the existence of any of the following:
-History of/or current intense political rivalry (IPR) among the contending parties. Such rivalries could motivate people to engage in violent acts.
-Presence of private armed groups or PAGs (active/potential) that had been and/or can be utilized by candidates in the area and abetted by loose firearms and availability of gun-for-hire gangs.
-Occurrence of validated election related incident (ERI) in the 2016 national and local elections, provided there was no participation of domestic terror groups.
-Suspected politically-motivated violent incidents involving elected government officials (EGO)/aspirants/supporters from January 2018 to present and those who filed their COCs until the start of the election period.
-Occurrence of political-motivated ERIs in the current election period provided there is no participation of domestic terror group.
-Validated reports of candidates involved in illegal drug groups and such support will likely lead to election violence; and/or
-Areas that has been previously placed under COMELEC Control in 2016.
Towns or cities will be placed under Category 2, or election areas of immediate concern, if there is an existence of any of the following factors:-Combination of two or more factors under Category 1.
-Presence and/or serious armed threat posed by the communist terrorist group or CTG (New People’s Army) and/or local terrorist groups or LTG (BIFF, ASG, AKP and rogue elements of the MNLF/MILF) and/or other analogous groups;
-Reports of the collection of permit to win/permit to campaign by CTGs and/or extortion by LTGs and/or other analogous groups; and/or
-Reports on the existence of CTG/LTG supported candidates.
A town or city will be considered in Red Classification upon existence of factors under Category 1 and 2.
Based on the latest PRO-6 data, the number of towns in the Red Category increased from three to four.
Malong said Moises Padilla town in Negros Occidental was added to the list after suspected New People’s Army members killed Sangguniang Bayan member Jolomar Hilario.
“The existence of NPA terrorists also propelled Moises Padilla to be put in Red category,” Malong said.
The three other towns in the Red category are Lemery, Calinog, and Maasin, all in Iloilo province.
The Orange category towns are Culasi, Hamtic, Sebaste, Sibalom, Valderama, and San Remigio in Antique province; Tapaz, Maayon, and Cuartero in Capiz; San Joaquin, Miag-ao, Tubungan, Igbaras, Alimodian, Janiuay, Lambunao, Leon, and Bingawan in Iloilo; and Toboso, Himamaylan, Isabela, Hinobaan, and Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental.
Under the Yellow category are the towns of New Lucena, Sara, San Dionisio, and Estancia in Iloilo; and Calatrava, Don Salvador Benedicto, Escalante, EB Magalona, Silay City, Cagayan, Binalbagan, Hinigaran, La Castellana, Candoni, Ilog, and Sipalag City in Negros Occidental.
Malong said the Provincial JSCC has already submitted a resolution for the inclusion of the said towns.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region 6 earlier moved that Mambusao in Capiz, Victorias City in Negros Occidental, and Bingawan in Iloilo will be deleted from the EWAS list.
But Malong noted that Victorias City was never on the list.
In the case of Mambusao and Bingawan, the PRO-6 stood pat that they could not be removed from the list because its current risk and threat assessment (CRTA) says otherwise.
The declaration of a town as area of concern could lead to deployment of additional police officers and even military soldiers.
“But there must still be a discussion if the deployment would involve AFP and/or PNP personnel,” Malong said.
https://thedailyguardian.net/local-news/43-towns-cities-in-wv-tagged-as-poll-hotspots/
Under the Yellow category are the towns of New Lucena, Sara, San Dionisio, and Estancia in Iloilo; and Calatrava, Don Salvador Benedicto, Escalante, EB Magalona, Silay City, Cagayan, Binalbagan, Hinigaran, La Castellana, Candoni, Ilog, and Sipalag City in Negros Occidental.
Malong said the Provincial JSCC has already submitted a resolution for the inclusion of the said towns.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Region 6 earlier moved that Mambusao in Capiz, Victorias City in Negros Occidental, and Bingawan in Iloilo will be deleted from the EWAS list.
But Malong noted that Victorias City was never on the list.
In the case of Mambusao and Bingawan, the PRO-6 stood pat that they could not be removed from the list because its current risk and threat assessment (CRTA) says otherwise.
The declaration of a town as area of concern could lead to deployment of additional police officers and even military soldiers.
“But there must still be a discussion if the deployment would involve AFP and/or PNP personnel,” Malong said.
https://thedailyguardian.net/local-news/43-towns-cities-in-wv-tagged-as-poll-hotspots/
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