Western Visayas barangays on poll watchlist identified

MANILA, Philippines — The number of barangays considered as election areas of concern in Western Visayas is down to 129 from the previous 154.

Iloilo has 28 barangays; Capiz, 15; Aklan, four; Iloilo three; and Antique, two.

“The number may still change depending on the situation,” Senior Superintendent Jesus Cambay Jr., Western Visayas police chief, said yesterday.

Authorities identified the barangays during a meeting of the Visayas Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Center, a multi-sectoral body activated for the elections, which was attended by officials of the police, military and Commission on Elections (Comelec) at Camp Delgado.

In Caraga, 93 barangays were identified as areas of concern based on the evaluation by the regional police office and 4th Infantry Division (ID).

Maj. Gen. Ronald Villanueva, 4th ID commander, gave assurance that the Army’s 401st and 402nd Brigades would help the police in implementing security measures to ensure an orderly and peaceful elections.

There are 1,619,179 registered voters in Caraga’s five provinces and six cities.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had earlier identified  5,744 barangays as areas of concern.

“While we cannot dream of zero-incident... we hope there will be fewer incidents in this election,” PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said during  a meeting with police officials of Ilocos, the Cordilleras and Cagayan Valley at the Baguio Country Club yesterday.  

The PNP had so far recorded 15 violent incidents.

Albayalde said 80 percent of the country’s 190,000 policemen would be deployed on election day. – Ben Serrano, Artemio Dumlao