Comelec to announce Eleksyon 2022 areas of concern by Thursday

The Commision on Elections (Comelec) will announce by Thursday the list of areas of concern with regard to Eleksyon 2022, its Commissioner George Garcia said on Monday.

At the Laging Handa public briefing, Garcia said the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have submitted a list of the color-coded areas.

“Asahan po ninyo by siguro hanggang Thursday ay mag-announce po ang Comelec sa pamamagitan po en banc, i-a-announce po natin kung ano talaga ‘yung areas of concern,” he said.

(Rest assured perhaps by Thursday, the Comelec through the en banc will announce the areas of concern)

The PNP classified the areas in the country into four color-coded categories: green, yellow, orange, and red.

Areas classified as green are considered generally peaceful for the conduct of elections, according to PNP spokesperson Police Colonel Jean Fajardo.

Yellow areas have reported suspected election-related incidents in the past two polls, possible presence of armed groups, and intense political rivalries. Yellow areas are considered “areas of concern”.

Orange areas have a recorded presence of armed groups such as the New People's Army and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters that may interrupt the polls. These are considered “areas of immediate concern”.

Meanwhile, areas under the red category meet the parameters for yellow and orange areas. They will be placed under Comelec control, Fajardo said. Security forces will focus on monitoring these areas.

According to Garcia, red areas have a possibility for violence and intense political fights among local candidates.

He clarified that the term “elections hotspots” will no longer be used as agreed by the Department of National Defense and National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Gun ban

Meanwhile, Garcia said the Comelec en banc will discuss possible adjustments to the guidelines for election gun ban exemptions and application for security personnel.

“Ipapangako po natin sa Miyerkoles kaunahan po 'yan sa tatalakayin ng en banc, 'yung tinatawag nating recalibration of the guidelines para sa gun ban exemption at security personnel,” he said.

(We promise that on Wednesday, the recalibration of the guidelines for gun ban exemption and security personnel will be the first matter we will discuss during the en banc [meeting].)

Garcia said Comelec chairperson Saidamen Balt Pangarungan noticed that the approval or rejection of these applications have been slow.

He pointed out that the process should be easy as there are credible threats against businessmen, judges, lawyers, Comelec personnel, and other public servants. —KG, GMA News