(File photo)
BAGUIO CITY – The Police Regional Office-Cordillera (PROCOR) said it is now keeping a close watch on the two local government units (LGUs) in the regions (CAR) which are classified as "red areas" for the May 9 polls.
Capt. Marnie Abellanida, PROCOR information officer, in a phone interview on Friday, said as of the end of January, Tabuk City and the town of Lubuagan in Kalinga have been placed under the red category.
“They were placed under red category due to the recent incidents which are election-related,” he said.
He, however, said they are now checking the details of the incidents that prompted the declaration.
Based on the guidelines of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), “areas shall be placed under category red immediately if an existence of one or more factors under category yellow combined with serious armed threats stated under category orange.”
Areas under yellow category are those that have a history of election-related incidents in the last elections, possible employment of partisan armed groups, occurrence of politically motivated election-related incidents and had been previously declared under Comelec control.
Orange, meanwhile, means areas of immediate concern where there is a serious armed threat.
It also said “category red classification may warrant motu proprio declaration of Comelec control.”
There are also four towns in Kalinga placed under the orange category -- Pinukpuk, Pasil, Tanudan, and Balbalan.
Also under the orange category are Sagada and Besao in Mountain Province are in the same category.
The areas under the yellow category are the municipality of Rizal in Kalinga including the towns of Bangued, Dolores Penarrubia, Pidigan, Pilar, San Juan, Tayum, and Tineg in Abra aside from Conner in Apayao.
Towns under the yellow category are those with domestic terror groups, intense partisan political rivalry, and possible employment of armed partisan groups by the candidates.
Abellanida said they are continuously employing activities aimed at ensuring peaceful polls.
The PROCOR earlier said that aside from manning quarantine checkpoints to implement coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) restrictions. Police are also implementing anti-criminality efforts which include the deployment of mobile checkpoints.
“Your police do not only want to make sure that the election period is peaceful, but will continue to perform its mandate of providing security to everyone in the country,” he added. (PNA)
