26 poll violence incidents logged

The Philippine National Police (PNP) has validated 26 election-related violent incidents since October, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) revealed on Monday.

Comelec Chairperson George Erwin Garcia said most of the incidents occurred in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

He said the tally did not include recent incidents in Abra and Lanao del Sur.

“Currently, based on their data from October up to 1 March, the PNP has recorded 26 election-related violent incidents,” Garcia said.

Garcia was at the PNP headquarters for a security briefing ahead of the May midterm elections.

He said the Comelec, along with law enforcement and military agencies, is closely monitoring the security situation and reviewing the security classification of various areas.

He urged the PNP to reassess the security situation in the BARMM which is seeing a rise in violence. To recall, the Comelec had identified 38 areas of grave concern, or “red” areas, with 32 located in the BARMM.

Those areas could be placed under Comelec control. Other classifications include “green” for peaceful areas, “yellow” for areas with a history of election-related incidents, and “orange” for areas of immediate concern.

Garcia said a new list of areas of concern will be issued next week. He also commended the PNP for neutralizing private armed groups.

Meanwhile, the Comelec said it has printed over 53 million of the 72 million ballots required for the polls.

“A total of 53,894,129 ballots, representing 76.58 percent of the 72 million requirement, has been printed as of 3 March,” Garcia said.

The Comelec resumed printing the ballots on 27 January following a Supreme Court ruling. The poll body aims to complete the printing by mid to late March, with verification to be finalized by April.

To meet the deadline, the Comelec is utilizing six printing machines, including those at the National Printing Office.

In another development, the Quezon City local government announced that the Amoranto Sports Complex will be closed from 1 March to 30 April to accommodate the processing and storage of ballots.