2,300 barangays under poll watch list

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has placed 2,300 barangays nationwide on its election watch list to prevent poll-related violence in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said that of the total 42,025 barangays nationwide, 2,301 were classified as areas of concern, or where possible violence may occur during the campaign period.

Jimenez said a barangay included in the election watch list could be considered as an area of concern if there was history of politically motivated incidents in past elections and if there are serious threats posed by armed groups.

Among the identified areas of concern, a majority or 2,077 have the presence of armed groups while only 224 have the existence of political rivalry or had a history of politically related violence.

Barangays in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Bicol, Western Visayas, Ilocos region and Cagayan Valley comprised the biggest number of identified areas of concern.

In Metro Manila, only the barangays in Payatas, Quezon City and Bagumbayan, Taguig were included in the list.

Jimenez said Comelec has already directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to be alert and increase police visibility in the identified areas of concern.

“We have ordered heightened alert and constant monitoring of the situation in these areas so we could prevent the possibility of election-related violence,” he said.

Jimenez said the Comelec and the PNP would undertake immediate measures, considering that barangay and SK elections have been historically violent.

“Candidates and voters during barangay elections have the tendency to lose control, thus the possibility of disturbance and violence is higher than in national elections,” Jimenez stressed.

If the situation in these areas would worsen before the elections, Jimenez said the Comelec might be forced to place an area under its direct control.

But until yesterday, Jimenez said the Comelec has not placed any single barangay under direct supervision.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said, the Comelec is now already 90 percent complete in its preparations for the coming electoral exercise.

“After we have completed the printing of ballots by Oct. 15, we can say we’re already 98 percent complete because at this time we only have minor purchases to do,” Jimenez said.

The military’s National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM), on the other hand, will deploy troops to secure the elections in Metro Manila.

NCRCOM chief Maj. Gen. Arthur Tabaquero said 500 soldiers would be deployed to complement the police in road checkpoints.

Tabaquero said 400 soldiers would be deployed on election day on Oct. 25.

“So all in all, we are committing 500 personnel, most of them are on standby and ready to react if the NCRPO (National Capital Region Police Office) needs additional forces,” he said.

Tabaquero said they are continuously coordinating with the NCRPO and Comelec to ensure that this month’s polls would be orderly.

“We have started augmenting the checkpoints and patrol points of PNP (Philippine National Police) and Comelec. There is continuous coordination... The last barangay elections were peaceful in Metro Manila and hopefully we can replicate that,” he said.

While expecting some rivalries among candidates, the vigilance of the media and the citizens would help deter violent activities, Tabaquero said.

“In Metro Manila, if they (criminals) commit undesirable acts, they will immediately be reported by the media,” he said.

“The media are a big factor in any event especially elections. They become deterrents. Some groups would hesitate to commit illegal acts because of the media.” – With Alexis Romero, Mike Frialde