ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified areas of concern for the upcoming May 2025 national and local elections, classifying municipalities and cities into categories based on potential security risks. The classifications were announced during a press conference on Thursday, January 9.
In Western Visayas, Calinog, Iloilo is the lone municipality under the “red category,” indicating the highest level of election-related security concerns.
This category signals the presence of both intense political rivalries and serious armed threats.
Nine municipalities in the region fall under the “orange category”: Badiangan, Janiuay, Leon, Maasin, and San Joaquin in Iloilo Province; Sipalay City, Calatrava, and Cauayan in Negros Occidental; and Tapaz in Capiz.
Meanwhile, seven municipalities or cities are classified under the “yellow category,” which denotes moderate concerns. These are Ajuy, Lemery, San Dionisio, and San Enrique in Iloilo Province; Isabela in Negros Occidental; President Roxas in Capiz; and Tobias Fornier in Antique.
The majority of the region’s areas remain relatively peaceful, with 116 municipalities and cities under the “green category,” indicating no significant security threats.
Definitions of Categories
Comelec Resolution No. 11067 outlines the criteria for these classifications:
* Green Category – areas with no security concerns, considered peaceful and orderly.
* Yellow Category – areas with election-related incidents in past polls, intense partisan rivalries, or potential use of private armed groups (PAGs).
* Orange Category – areas with multiple yellow-category factors combined with armed threats from groups such as Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs).
* Red Category – areas with yellow and orange factors combined, posing the highest level of security concerns. This classification may lead to Comelec control.
National Overview
Nationwide, 1,239 municipalities and cities are categorized as green, 188 as yellow, 177 as orange, and 39 as red.
Most areas under the red category are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
According to Comelec chairman George Erwin Mojica Garcia, the red category indicates the possibility of the Commission enacting special measures, including the deployment of additional personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), as well as the reshuffling of local police forces.
Other Areas in Red Category
Aside from Calinog in Region 6, other areas in the red category include Jones and Maconacon in Region 2; Baleno and Masbate City in Region 5; Santa Margarita in Region 8; and multiple municipalities and cities in BARMM.
The Comelec assured the public that necessary measures will be implemented to ensure peaceful and orderly elections across the country./PN
