ILOILO City – Western Visayas no longer has any areas classified under the “red category” for the May 12, 2025, midterm elections.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Central Office released an updated list of election areas of concern nationwide on Wednesday, March 19, showing that Calinog, Iloilo — previously categorized as a “red” area — has been downgraded to “green”.
Calinog was placed under the red category on January 9, 2025, making it the only area in the region classified under the highest level of election risk. The latest update, however, confirms that no other municipality or city in Western Visayas had its classification changed.
According to Comelec’s January 9, 2025, list, Western Visayas had:
* 116 municipalities or cities under the “green category” (low risk)
* seven municipalities or cities under “yellow” (moderate risk)
* nine municipalities or cities under “orange” (high risk)
* one municipality (Calinog) under “red” (critical concern)
The areas previously placed under the yellow category were Ajuy, Lemery, San Dionisio, and San Enrique in Iloilo Province; Isabela in Negros Occidental; President Roxas in Capiz; and Tobias Fornier in Antique.
Meanwhile, the nine areas under the orange category were Badiangan, Janiuay, Leon, Maasin, and San Joaquin in Iloilo Province; Sipalay City, Calatrava, and Cauayan in Negros Occidental; and Tapaz in Capiz.
Calinog’s Risk Classification Lowered
Iloilo Provincial Election Supervisor Atty. Reinier Layson previously explained that the initial list released on January 9 was subject to revision as election day approaches.
“You have to understand that this list is just an initial assessment and will not be the final one for the elections. It will evolve depending on the security situation. If we can lower the category, that would be better because we will continuously validate the presence of Communist Terrorist Groups (CTGs) in the area,” Layson said.
Calinog was initially placed under the red category due to an election-related incident (ERI) during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in October 2023, as well as a clash between government forces and CTGs in the same year.
Understanding the Categories
According to Comelec Resolution No. 11067, the classification system for election areas of concern is as follows:
* Green Category – no security concerns; the area is relatively peaceful and orderly
* Yellow Category – moderate risk due to previous election-related incidents (ERI) in the last two elections, intense partisan rivalry, possible employment of Private Armed Groups (PAGs), or past placement under Comelec control
* Orange Category – high risk, involving multiple yellow category factors and a serious armed threat from CTGs or other threat groups; the Comelec may direct additional military or police deployment and reshuffle the local police force
* Red Category – critical concern, combining yellow and orange category factors with serious armed threats; areas under this category may be placed under Comelec control, with direct intervention from security forces./PN
