30 areas in Mimaropa listed as election hotspots

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – Close to 5,600 police personnel in Mimaropa (Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) will be deployed for election duty in the region including to those municipalities which have been declared areas of grave and immediate concern by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Police Brig Gen. Tomas C. Apolinario, Mimaropa police chief, said officer assigned at the regional headquarters and Regional Support Units, special teams belonging to the Quick Reaction Forces and the Army 203rd Brigade will be deployed.

Apolinario said at least 30 election hotspots have been in the region, with four municipalities in Palawan and Oriental Mindoro tagged as areas of grave concern located.

In Palawan, the towns of Quezon, Roxas and Bataraza and Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro have been categorized as Red under the Comelec classification, meaning they are areas with a serious threat posed by the New People’s Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other terrorist groups.

Categorized as Orange are nine towns in Occidental Mindoro, seven in Oriental Mindoro and six in Palawan.

The Category Orange towns in Occidental Mindoro are Abra de Ilog, Magsaysay, Mamburao, Paluan, Sablayan, San Jose, Sta. Cruz, Calintaan and Rizal; in Oriental Mindoro are the towns of Bulalacao, Gloria, Pola, Naujan, Mansalay, Socorro and Bansud; in Palawan are Dumaran, Rizal, San Vicente, Sofronio Espanola, Taytay and Brooke’s Point.

Under Category Yellow are Aborlan, Narra, Puerto Princesa City in Palawan and Boac in Marinduque.

Category Yellow areas had electionrelated incidents in the last two elections, intense partisan political rivalry and possible employment of partisan armed groups.