Abra town declared ‘red’ poll hot spot

MANILA, Philippines — Pilar town in Abra is among the election hot spots under red category or areas of grave concern.

The Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC) of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) upgraded the classification of the town  following a shootout between policemen and the group of Vice Mayor Jaja Josefina Somera-Disono.

One of Disono’s staff was killed while two policemen were wounded when the security aides of the vice mayor reportedly evaded a checkpoint and fired at those manning it.

“Pending verification of the reports received, the CBFSC has upgraded the categorization of Pilar from orange to red,” acting committee chairman Aimee Ferolino said in a statement issued on Friday night.

She said the CBFSC has yet to decide on whether to place the town under Comelec control.

Ferolino said any decision should be based on validated reports, noting that placing an area under Comelec control is a “sensitive issue.”

Malabang and Tubaran in Lanao del Sur had earlier been placed under the control of the Comelec.

A color-coding scheme was adopted to identify poll hot spots: yellow for areas of concern, orange for areas of immediate concern and red for areas of grave concern.

Yellow indicates the existence of intense political rivalry and a history of election-related violence in two previous elections while orange signifies serious armed threat from rebel groups.

Areas under red category possess the combined factors of yellow and orange, and may be placed under the control of the Comelec.

Green means the area is generally peaceful.

DOJ panel probes shootout

Meanwhile, the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) of the Department of Justice will form a panel that will look into the Pilar shootout.

In a two-page statement, the OPG said those charged with murder, perjury and incriminating innocent persons would be given the opportunity to respond once they have been furnished with copies of the complaint.

The National Bureau of Investigation filed the complaints against Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee, Cordillera Administrative Region police director, acting Abra police chief Col. Maly Cula, acting Pilar police Capt. and eight other policemen on Thursday.

The Abra police had earlier filed complaints against Disono and her group. –  Artemio Dumlao