Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Comelec Chair George Garcia shows a sample of the electronic ballot during the Local Source Code Review of the Automated Election Systems (AES) at the Circuit Corporation One building in Makati city on October 11, 2024. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Comelec

Bianca Dava

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1736396672641Gg0Xg5VaMAA9yrk.jpeg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The Commission on Elections on Jan. 9, 2025 presents to the media the number of election areas of concern around 4 months before the May 2025 midterm elections. Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The Commission on Elections on Jan. 9, 2025 presents to the media the number of election areas of concern around 4 months before the May 2025 midterm elections. <em>Bianca Dava, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified 38 election areas under the &quot;red category&quot; in May&#x27;s midterm elections. </p><p>The country’s election areas of concern classification has four categories: green, yellow, orange and red.  </p><p>Green refers to areas that do not have security concerns and are generally peaceful and orderly. </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/1/8/comelec-bans-politicos-in-distribution-of-aid-during-election-ban-1235">Comelec bans politicos in distribution of aid during election ban</a></div><p>Under yellow, the areas of concern have a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections, possible employment of private armed groups, and occurrence of election-related incidents. These areas have also been previously declared under Comelec control.</p><p>A total of 188 cities and municipalities are under this category.</p><p>The Comelec also identified 177 areas under the orange category. These are areas of immediate concern where there are serious armed threats.</p><p>Red, meanwhile, refers to areas with grave concern with combined factors under the yellow category and serious armed threats. The poll body may also consider putting these areas under Comelec control.</p><p>Out of the 38 areas listed under the red category, 32 are located in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), two each in Cagayan Valley and Bicol, and one each in Western Visayas and Eastern Visayas.</p><p>The Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines said they would deploy additional personnel to areas of grave concern, especially in BARMM.</p><p>“Ang police operational procedure nandun pa rin,” PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said in a press conference at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Thursday.</p><p>“We’re talking about additional forces na dadalhin sa BARMM. We will be adjusting and we will be asking more from the military,” he added.</p><p>AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. added, “Sa BARMM area, nagsimula na kaming mag-augment ng mga tropa, not only because of the election, but we are assisting the government in the normalization process.”</p><p>Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that the list of areas of concern could still change once the official campaign period begins on January 12.</p><p>“Maaaring magbago ito habang papalapit tayo sa halalan… Minsan kasi, sa ating karanasan, ang green nagiging yellow, o biglang from green nagja-jump to red. Minsan naman, ang red habang papalapit ang halalan naggi-green,” Garcia told reporters.</p><div> </div><div><strong>NATIONAL ELECTION MONITORING ACTION CENTER</strong></div><div> </div><p>Four months before the May 12 polls, the PNP activated on Thursday its National Election Monitoring Action Center (NEMAC), which would allow real-time monitoring of polling centers across the country.</p><p>The NEMAC will allow the police to know whether voting has started or ended at polling centers, and if ballot boxes have been delivered to proper offices.</p><p>“Real-time, marami silang ginagamit na CCTV cameras, at the same time, lalo na sa deployment ng aming election paraphernalia na magsisimula sa Abril. Ibig sabihin, mare-report kaagad sa amin, sa bawat presinto at bayan na dinadaanan ng truck o barko, mare-report ang updates. Pati na rin ang movement ng mga tao namin. Sakali mang may mag-commit ng violence, may CCTV at maaaksyunan kaagad,” Garcia noted.</p><p>He went on, “We can immediately make a decision on what to do, on who to use for purposes of quelling a particular incident. May mata ang Comelec kahit wala kami doon.”</p><p>“Ito yung quick response ng mga pulis natin sa buong situation—before, during and after the elections,” Marbil added.</p><div> </div><div><strong>BACKGROUND CHECKS</strong></div><div> </div><p>Meanwhile, Brawner said that the AFP is conducting background checks on candidates to prevent possible “foreign influence” in the midterm polls.</p><p>“Through our intelligence operations, tinitingnan po natin ang lahat ng kandidato... Kung meron kaming makikita na red flags, we will inform the Comelec about this. Ayaw natin maulit ang nangyari noong nakaraang eleksyon na may nakalusot na kandidato,” Brawner said.</p><p>“We are in collaboration with the PNP and Comelec to make sure that we prevent these kinds of things from happening again. So, pinaigting natin ang ating intelligence operations,” he continued.</p><p>The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) earlier revealed that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping, elected in 2022, was an “agent of influence” who used her position to influence public opinion or decision making “to benefit the country that hired her.”</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m4kFm-gWSJk?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified <i>38 </i>election areas under "red category" months before the 2025 midterm elections in May.</p>

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified 38 election areas under "red category" months before the 2025 midterm elections in May.

Comelec identifies 38 election areas of 'grave concern'

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Comelec identifies 38 election areas of 'grave concern'

Bianca Dava,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 09, 2025 12:45 PM PHT

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Updated January 09, 2025 06:25 PM PHT

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