Possible election hotspots in Calabarzon identified
CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna -- Twenty-nine areas have been identified by the Police Regional Office 4A (PRO4A) as possible election hotspots in the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal Quezon) area.
PRO4A regional director Brig. Gen. Antonio Yarra said in a report that the election hotspot list has three categories -- Yellow, Orange, and Red – which are all based on the presence of intense political rivalry, the presence of armed groups, or if the threat of insurgency is imminent.
The presence of one factor in the city or municipality falls under Yellow Category, the presence of two falls under Orange Category or immediate concern, and the presence of all three factors falls under the Red Category or grave concern, which may warrant the motu proprio declaration of Commission on Election (COMELEC) control.
History of election-related incidents in the last two elections is one of the considerations taken in identifying election hotspots, aside from the result of current continuous information gathering being undertaken, Yarra added.
Under the yellow category, five were identified in Cavite, two in Laguna, 12 in Batangas, one in Rizal, and two in Quezon. In the orange category, two areas were also identified in Cavite, one in Rizal, and four areas in Quezon.
"Though at the moment, we haven't yet identified areas under the red category, we are continuously working with our Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) counterparts and the COMELEC 4A to determine whether there is extreme threat in the entire region as the May 9, 2022 election is fast approaching," said Yarra.
Yarra also ensures the public that the police force of PRO-CALABARZON shall do its best for safe, secured, and honest elections by deploying its personnel to man various checkpoints in the region and conduct operations to thwart the actions of criminals and lawless elements.
The operation would be intensified especially during the campaign period, the day of the casting of votes, and post-election activities are already in place.
Meanwhile, municipalities under the mentioned election hot spot categories were already advised to double their security measures especially those under the Orange Category where there is a presence of armed threat posed by the Communist Terrorists Group (CTG).