BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO & RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) Region 6 and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have identified 172 barangays in Western Visayas as areas of concern for the Oct. 30 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
Among these, three barangays are classified as “red”, signifying the highest level of concern. Notably, all three are located in Negros Occidental, according to Comelec-6 director Atty. Dennis Ausan during the Regional Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council (RJPSCC) meeting.
Furthermore, 163 barangays fall under the “orange” category, while six are categorized as “yellow”.
Of the 163 “orange” areas, Iloilo province has the highest count at 90, followed by Negros Occidental with 45, Capiz with 14, Antique with 12, and Aklan with two.
The “yellow” category comprises three barangays each from Iloilo and Negros Occidental provinces.
Meanwhile, the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod, as well as the province of Guimaras, have not yet been categorized.
Ausan emphasized that these assessments may evolve, saying, “So far, these were the areas identified as election areas of concern based on the assessment, but there may be changes in the numbers.”
The Comelec classification of election areas is as follows:
* Green – Areas without security concerns, relatively peaceful and orderly.
* Yellow (Election Areas of Concern) – Areas with suspected election incidents in the last two elections, provided there was no involvement of domestic threat groups; areas with intense political rivalry but without domestic terror group participation; potential use of partisan armed groups by candidates; occurrence of politically motivated incidents in the current election period, without domestic threat group involvement; or areas previously declared under Comelec control.
* Orange (Election Areas of Immediate Concern) – Areas with two or more factors from the yellow category or serious armed threats from groups like the New People’s Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), and rogue elements of various organizations.
* Red (Election Areas of Grave Concern) – Areas with one or more factors from the yellow category and serious armed threats posed by groups like the NPA, BIFF, and rogue elements of various organizations.
Ausan said the RJPSCC is well-prepared for any potential situations, including armed encounters leading up to Oct. 30. Security plans have been developed and are subject to continuous evaluation and adjustment.
He urged all stakeholders, especially candidates, to adhere to rules and regulations to ensure an honest, orderly, and peaceful election.
Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor affirmed the readiness of his personnel to maintain peace and order during the elections, stating, “We have enough personnel to secure the local elections.”
Furthermore, Major General Marion Sison, commander of the Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry Division (3ID), said the army would assist the PNP as an augmentation force, with soldiers prepared for deployment./PN
