DAVAO CITY -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified 10 barangays in Davao City that are included in the initial election watch list areas (EWAS).
Lawyer Mohammad Omar Samama, Comelec-Davao City spokesperson, identified the 10 barangays as Carmen, Tambobong and Tawan-tawan in Baguio district; Malabat and Tamugan in Marilog district; and Lumiad, Malabog, Pañalom, Pandaitan, and Paradise Embak in Paquibato district.
Samama said the initial list was bared by the Army's Eastern Mindanao Command (Eastmincom) during the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council (JPSCC) conference on April 27.
He said the military based the identification of the EWAS on the presence of the communist rebel group New People’s Army (NPA) and other armed groups.
Samama clarified that the nature threats being experienced by barangays under EWAS are not necessarily election-related but pertains more to the presence of armed groups.
The Eastmincom, he said, has already assured that the threats are being addressed with the deployment of additional troops in these areas.
Samama said there has been no election-related threat in all of Davao City’s barangays, based on police and military reports. (PNA)
