The Philippine National Police (PNP) has validated 11 election-related incidents (ERIs) since the start of the election campaign period on 12 January.

In a radio interview on Sunday, P/BGen. Jean Fajardo confirmed that 39 suspected ERIs were logged as of 28 March, with 11 validated.

Fajardo noted that 23 incidents were unrelated to the May 12 elections, while five cases remain under validation and are classified as “suspected election incidents.”

Of the 11 validated ERIs, five are currently in the preliminary investigation phase, while the remaining cases are in the case buildup stage.

Fajardo pointed out that the number of validated election-related incidents is lower compared to the midterm elections in 2019.

“However, our election period is not yet over. We will continue on our monitoring,” she noted. 

“What we want to ensure is that these incidents do not escalate into a more serious situation, especially now that the local campaign period has started,” she added. 

Fajardo also mentioned that the PNP has intensified monitoring of election areas of concern, noting that local elections tend to be more intense than national ones.

As of 19 March, the number of election areas of concern decreased to 386, from the previously recorded 403.

“One of the factors contributing to the decrease in the number of areas of concern is our prompt response to the issues raised by our political aspirants,” she pointed out. 

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) classifies election hotspots under yellow, orange, red, and green categories.

Yellow areas have seen suspected election-related incidents in the past two elections, along with intense partisan political rivalry, but without the involvement of local terrorist groups.

Orange areas face serious armed threats from communist terrorist groups and other rebel factions.

Red areas are identified with one or more factors from the yellow and orange categories. When these areas fall under Comelec’s control, the commission assumes direct supervision over officials and employees, as well as full control over law enforcement agencies.

Green areas are considered relatively peaceful and orderly.

“Hopefully, as we approach the election proper, these areas of concern will decrease further,” Fajardo said. 

Fajardo added that the PNP has placed all its units under heightened security alert to ensure the safety of local candidates' campaigns, which began on March 28.

All police regional offices have been directed to monitor their areas of responsibility to prevent criminal activities and respond to incidents.

Fajardo also revealed that the PNP has canceled leave applications for all police officers to ensure that at least 75 percent of the PNP's total strength is “readily available for deployment” during the elections.