All Central Luzon cities, towns on election watchlist

CABANATUAN CITY, Philippines – All cities and municipalities in Central Luzon are now on the election watchlist of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

“From the previous 31, all the towns and cities in Central Luzon are treated equal. They are all areas of concern now,” Chief Superintendent Rudy Lacadin, PNP director for Central Luzon said yesterday.

“You might surmise that there were no previous incidents… But what if something happens? You might even blame me,” Lacadin said.

There are five cities and 27 towns in Nueva Ecija; three cities and 21 towns in Bulacan; a highly urbanized city, two component cities and 19 towns in Pampanga; 11 towns and one city in Bataan; 17 towns and one city in Tarlac; one HUC and 13 towns in Zambales and eight towns in Aurora.

Only the towns of Dingalan, Baler and Maria Aurora in Aurora; Dinalupihan and Limay in Bataan, and Doña Remedios Trinidad, San Jose del Monte, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, Baliwag and Meycauayan in Bulacan are on the watchlist that Lacadin presented during the regional joint security coordinating center conference on Jan. 11.

In Nueva Ecija, the towns of Bongabon, Cabanatuan, Jaen, Aliaga, Quezon, Licab, Zaragoza, San Leonardo, Muñoz, Pantabangan, Sto. Domingo, Gapan, Cabiao, Talavera, General Tinio, San Antonio and Talugtug were identified as “areas of concern.”

Only Arayat, Masantol and Mexico in Pampanga; Bamban, Paniqui, San Jose, Capas, San Manuel, Tarlac City and Mayantoc in Tarlac, and Botolan, Castillejos, and Masinloc in Zambales are on the initial watchlist.

Lacadin said they would put up at least one checkpoint in every town and city to implement the election gun ban as well as the intensified campaign against loose firearms, communist rebels and syndicated crime groups.