Red category ruled out for Albuera amid Espinosa shooting

The Commission on Elections on Friday ruled out the possibility of placing Albuera, Leyte under the red category of election areas of concern, despite the recent shooting of a mayoral candidate.

“So far naman, mukhang hindi naman kinakailangan magtaas ng classification doon sa lugar kasi naman base sa imbestigasyon ng PNP ay meron na silang napunto na maaaring responsible dito o kaya puwede mapanagot,” said Comelec Chairperson George Garcia in a press conference.

(So far, it doesn’t appear necessary to raise the classification in that area. Based on the investigation by the Philippine National Police, they have already identified individuals who may be responsible and can be held accountable.)

“Sa amin, in the meantime, sapat na muna yun. Bakit natin guguluhin ang kabubuan ng buong bayan kung hindi naman pala apektado, meron lamang iilan na responsible dito?” he added.

(For now, we believe that’s sufficient. Why should we cause alarm across the entire town when the situation involves only a few individuals.)

The PNP earlier confirmed that seven police officers were in custody after being tagged as persons of interest in the shooting of Albuera mayoral candidate Kerwin Espinosa.

Espinosa was shot in the right shoulder by an unidentified assailant around 4:30 p.m. on Thursday while attending a campaign event. He was waiting for his turn to speak when the shooting occurred.

As of March 19, the Comelec has placed 36 areas under the red category.

Under Comelec Resolution No. 11067, the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines classify all areas in the country into four categories based on security concerns: green, yellow, orange, and red.

Green areas are considered generally peaceful with no significant security concerns.

Yellow areas have a history of suspected election-related incidents in the past two elections, without involvement from domestic terror groups. These areas may also have reported the presence of armed groups and intense political rivalries.

Orange areas exhibit a combination of yellow category indicators, along with serious threats from communist rebels or other armed groups.

Red areas meet all the criteria of the yellow category and face serious threats from armed groups. These areas are considered to be under heightened risk of violence and intense political conflict, often requiring close monitoring by security forces.

Despite the shooting incident, the Comelec maintains that the situation in Albuera did not currently warrant an escalation to the red category. — DVM, GMA Integrated News

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