Comelec tags 27 ‘red’ areas ahead of BARMM polls

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tagged 27 areas of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao under the “red” category, ahead of the first BARMM parliamentary election in September.

Comelec Chairman George Garcia said a red category indicates serious threats posed by communist rebels and other threat groups to a particular location.

“The 27 areas were classified solely because of their history of election-related violence in previous elections, but there are no current incidents linked to them. That is what we are monitoring right now,” Garcia told radio dzBB.

Garcia said 27 other areas were placed under the “orange” category, indicating possible election-related disturbances.

He clarified that the areas, which remain unspecified, would be monitored and checked for reclassifications each week leading to the Sept. 14 polls.

Meanwhile, a man set off a grenade at a roadside Army detachment in Barangay Calzada in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao del Norte on Saturday night, barely 12 hours after a similar attack was staged at the 7th Infantry Battalion unit in nearby Barangay Macaguiling.

Authorities said the attacks might have been retaliation by the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters for the death of BIFF leader Esmael Abubakar.

Maj. Gen. Jose Vladimir Cagara, 6th Infantry Division commander, and Lt. Gen. Donald Gumiran, Western Mindanao Command chief, separately condemned the grenade attacks.

Naga plebiscite set

In Bicol, the Comelec has approved the request of Naga Mayor Leni Robredo to synchronize the plebiscite declaring the city as highly urbanized with the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections in November.

“The Commission, after due deliberation, resolves to adopt the recommendation of Deputy Executive Director for Operations Rafael Olaño and approves the request of Mayor Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo that the plebiscite for the ratification of Presidential Proclamation 1267 be synchronized with the barangay and SK elections on Nov. 2,” the Comelec said.

Section 453 of the Local Government Code of 1991 requires a ratification of a reclassification proclamation through a plebiscite.

Robredo said synchronizing the plebiscite with the local election would minimize the cost, compared to holding them separately.

“If it will be held separately, we estimate that the cost will double,” Robredo said in an interview.  “If held separately, our rough estimate (of the cost) is about P50 million.”

Based on current Comelec figures, Naga City has 119,259 voters who are qualified to participate in the plebiscite. — John Unson