Joson downplays NE listing as ‘area of concern’ in polls

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga – Nueva Ecija Gov. Tomas Joson III has downplayed apprehensions that his province faces peace and order problems as police authorities have listed it as one of nine "areas of concern" in the May elections.

"Yun lang ang akala n’yo (That’s only your assumption)," Joson told The STAR when asked whether he considers Nueva Ecija an election hot spot.

The governor, who chairs the Central Luzon Investment Coordinating Council, led here the other day the awarding of the most outstanding local government units in the implementation of the government’s streamlining program in the issuance of mayor’s permits.

Joson, meanwhile, said he is set to run for mayor of Cabanatuan City under the banner of the pro-Arroyo administration Kabalikat ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kampi).

He will be pitted against Alvin Vergara, a cousin of incumbent Mayor Jay Vergara who is on his third and last term.    

Joson said his brother, Vice Gov. Mariano Cristino Joson IV, will run for governor, and that the latter’s wife, Rep. Josefina Joson, is seeking reelection in Nueva Ecija’s fourth district.

The governor said 24 of Nueva Ecija’s 32 mayors have affiliated themselves with Kampi, but added that they also remain to be members of the local party Bagong Lakas ng Nueva Ecija (Balane).

Despite this, Joson, however, could not say yet if Nueva Ecijanos would go for the Team Unity senatorial candidates of the Arroyo administration.

He recalled that in the 2004 presidential race, actor Fernando Poe Jr. got overwhelming votes in his province.

Besides Nueva Ecija, the Philippine National Police has listed Cagayan, Isabela, Abra, Masbate, Western Samar, Lanao del Sur, Sulu, and Basilan as areas of concern in the coming elections. There are a total of 80 provinces.

Police authorities, however, clarified that the nine areas are not necessarily "election hot spots."   

PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said the police would study the possible deployment of additional forces and the structuring of police units in these provinces.

"We recorded almost similar, if not a higher number of election areas of concern in previous elections, but this did not affect the generally peaceful and relatively good turnout of the polls," he said.   

Pagdilao said provinces are considered areas of concern because of their history of election-related violence, intense political rivalries among the contending parties, and possible use of private armed groups by local candidates.

Provinces can also be classified as such if there are serious threats from the New People’s Army (NPA), secessionist groups, as in Mindanao, and other similar armed movements.