7 cities, 39 towns possibly under threats accompanying polls –AFP

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said Sunday that seven cities and 39 towns in the country may be under threat concomitant to the May 2022 national and local elections.

“Ang Comelec [Commission on Elections], AFP, PNP [Philippine National Police] Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns, nagkaron sila ng meeting nung 8th February at meron tayong na-identify na seven cities and 39 towns na makikita natin na pwedeng magkaron ng threats,” AFP spokesperson Army Colonel Ramon Zagala said during a Super Radyo dzBB interview.

(The Comelec, AFP, PNP Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns met on February 8, and identified seven cities and 39 towns where poll violence threats are likely.)

In identifying which areas are under threat, Zagala said that the Comelec looked at previous elections where violence or related incidents occurred. Most of these areas were from Mindanao.

“From there, ide-declare nila (Comelec), together with the PNP, na magiging pwede nating bantayan. These are just general areas per region. Based dito, maga-augment ang AFP sa PNP,” he added.

(From there the Comelec, together with the PNP,  would declare which such areas need to be monitored. These are just general areas per region and from there, the AFP will augment the PNP forces.)

The areas identified are where local terrorist groups, communist terror group (CTG), and private armed groups have presence, Zagala pointed out.

Of these groups, they see the CTG as having the biggest treat in the upcoming May 9 polls.

They want to influence our elections, especially now that they are weak, they can no longer face up to the AFP and PNP. They will try to intimidate candidates with their guns, Zagala said in Filipino.

But the AFP in those areas is already preparing for violent incidents related to elections.

Zagala also assured the public and political aspirants that the AFP is willing to help them should they receive threats from armed groups.

He also noted there are about 51 guerilla fronts and 3,000 New People’s Army (NPA) combatants that need to be neutralized.

It was revealed in November 2021 that only 26 out of the 2,318 projects under the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) barangay development fund have been completed.

According to Senate committee chairman Senator Sonny Angara, over 700 of these projects were in the procurement stage, while some 560 were ongoing implementation back then.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier asked the state security forces to end the communist insurgency in the country by the end of his term. —LBG, GMA News