CAPIZ – Four municipalities here were included in the election ‘watch list’ or areas of concerns based on the assessment of the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) which is composed of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), Philippine Army (PA), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).
This was confirmed by Atty. Salud Milagros Villanueva, Capiz Provincial Election Officer, over Bombo Radyo Roxas.
Under the color coding scheme of the Comelec in the classification of areas of concern, the town of Pilar is in the “yellow” category while classified under the orange category are towns of Tapaz, Dumalag, and Maayon.
Since 2019, Comelec has been using color coding in classifying election hotspots. These are green, yellow, orange, and red:
* Green – areas that do not have security concerns and are generally peaceful and orderly
* Yellow – areas of concern; these areas have histories of election-related incidents in the last two elections and intense political rivalry; these areas were previously placed under Comelec control.
* Orange – areas of immediate concern; there is the serious armed threat posed by the NPA, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and other lawless elements.
* Red – areas of grave concern; they exhibit combined factors under the yellow and orange categories that may warrant a motu proprio (on its own) declaration of Comelec control.
The election officer of the said four towns in the province will be given more attention as the national and local elections are nearing./PN
