The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced Thursday it will place Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Sur, under its control following last week’s fatal ambush of an election officer.

Comelec chairperson George Garcia said the poll body rejected a proposal to place the entire province under its supervision, opting instead to focus on Datu Odin Sinsuat.

“We will no longer put the whole province under Comelec control,” Garcia told reporters in Filipino. “We are focused on Datu Sinsuat.”

He said they are finalizing guidelines outlining the implications of Comelec control, and the order will take effect immediately once the resolution is issued.

“We do not want to scare anyone, but we must clarify the limitations of Comelec control in the area,” Garcia said.

On 26 March, Comelec official Bai Maceda Lidasan Abo and her husband, Datu Jojo Abo, were ambushed and killed in Barangay Makir, Datu Odin Sinsuat.

The couple was traveling to her office in Dalican when unidentified gunmen attacked their SUV. Garcia said four persons of interest have been identified.

“If evidence links them to the crime, charges will be filed immediately,” he said.