La Union inclusion in ‘hot spots’ sought

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — A citizens’ group in Ilocos region is urging the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to consider the province of La Union as an “area of concern” to ensure peaceful elections on May 9.

Members of the Crusaders for Peace asked the poll body and the police to deploy more government security forces in La Union, citing a history of political violence and recent reports about the presence of armed men.

The Comelec adopted a color code in identifying  “areas of concern” or poll hot spots based on recommendations of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Green means an area is generally peaceful, while yellow means intense political rivalry and history of poll-related violence in the past two elections.

Orange means the presence of serious armed threat posed by communist rebels and local terror groups.

Red has the combined factors of the yellow and orange codes, which may warrant the declaration of an area under Comelec control.

The PNP earlier submitted a list of around 100 municipalities and 14 cities to be placed under the red category.

The list has yet to be made public.

The Crusaders for Peace said that placing La Union under Comelec control would avert political violence similar to what happened in 2018.

Most politically motivated killings in 2018 remain unresolved, the group said.

Meanwhile, the towns of Tubaran and Malabang in Lanao del Sur have been placed under Comelec control due to severe threats to peace and order.

Maj. Gen. Val de Leon, PNP directorate for operations chief, said the Comelec deployed Special Action Force commandos to secure the elections in the two municipalities.

De Leon said the threats emanated from local terrorist groups.