No leveling up of Binalbagan status despite NPA ambush

From Panay News (Feb 18, 2022): No leveling up of Binalbagan status despite NPA ambush (By DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA)

The town of Binalbagan in Negros Occidental remains under Category 2 of the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) classification of election areas of concern despite Sunday’s ambush of policemen perpetrated by the New People’s Army (NPA).

Atty. Roberto Salazar, acting provincial Comelec supervisor, is leaving the matter to the police and military.

The Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) recently identified 18 “election hotspots” in Negros Occidental.

These areas were further categorized – “red” (areas of grave concern), “orange” “(areas of immediate concern) and “yellow” (areas of concern).

Areas in the “red category” would be heavily monitored due to intense political rivalry and the potential presence of private armed groups and communist insurgents.

The PRO-6 condemned the ambush of a police patrol car of the Binalbagan municipal police station on Feb. 13.

Police Brigadier General Flynn Dongbo, regional police director, called the NPA “deceitful and coward”.

Comelec had its own of election hotspots categorization:

* Category 1 – “areas of concern” or areas that have intense political rivalry and have a history of election-related violence

* Category 2 – “areas of immediate concern” due to the presence of private armed groups or communist insurgents

* Category 3 – “areas of grave concern” due to intense political rivalry, history of election-related violence and presence of private armed groups or communist insurgents.

https://www.panaynews.net/no-leveling-up-of-binalbagan-status-despite-npa-ambush/