ANTIQUE – The Antique Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) is closely monitoring the Municipality of Laua-an due to its possible reclassification into an area of concern under the yellow category because of intense political rivalry.
Commission on Elections (Comelec) Acting Assistant Regional Director and concurrent Antique Provincial Election Supervisor Wil Arceño said Laua-an is currently under the green category or has no intense political rivalry.
However, they could not be complacent as the May 12 National and Local Election (NLE) 2025 approaches.
“The Municipality of Laua-an is still under observation,” said Arceño, also the chair of the PJSCC in Antique.
Slugging off for the town’s mayoralty seat are first cousins incumbent Mayor Aser Baladjay and Vice Mayor Francisco Baladjay, Jr.
Baladjay is seeking re-election under the Nationalist People’s Coalition, while his opponent is running under the Partido Federal Pilipinas.
Arceño said the PJSCC would give special attention to Laua-an if reclassified, together with Tobias Fornier, which was already in the yellow category.
The Antique Provincial Police Office (APPO) also intends to deploy an augmentation force to ensure peaceful elections in municipalities under the yellow category.
Antique is still peaceful, with no gun ban apprehension since the start of the election period on Jan. 12.
“There is no presence of private armed groups nor concern about the Communist Terrorist Group,” Arceño said. (PNA)
