Police tag 82 towns, cities, villages as ‘areas of concern’

SAN PEDRO CITY—Police have identified 32 towns and cities and 50 villages in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) as areas of concern in the May 14 village and youth council elections.

Chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, Calabarzon police director, said the 82 places were “election watch list areas.”

Police used to call them hot spots.

Calabarzon police records listed these areas of concern as Rosario, Tanza, Carmona, Maragondon and the cities of Trece Martires, Dasmariñas, Imus and Bacoor in Cavite.

In Laguna, areas of concern were Calauan town and the cities of San Pedro and San Pablo.

In Batangas, the towns of Bauan, Santa Teresita, Mataasnakahoy, Calaca, Calatagan, Nasugbu, Balayan, Tuy and Lian, and Tanauan City were listed as areas of concern.

Attacks, rebels

The town of Rodriguez and Antipolo City were listed in Rizal province as areas of concern.

In Quezon province, the areas of concern were the towns of Lucban, Lopez, General Luna, San Francisco, General Nakar, Real, Mauban, Catanauan and Mulanay.

Supt. Chitadel Gaoiran, regional police spokesperson, said a city or municipality was classified as an area of concern if there were recent attacks against village officials or candidates.

Areas where New People’s Army rebels operate and were believed to be collecting permit to campaign fees also qualify as areas of concern.

Gaoiran said “validation is continuing.”

“We’ll have more meetings come election time,” Gaoiran said in a phone interview on Friday.

In April alone, police records showed four gun attacks on village executives.

These were the killing of Barangay Bagtas Chair Leonilo Arbonida in Tanza, Cavite, on April 14, the killing of Barangay Anato Councilor Felix Arias Cabili in Pagbilao on April 21 and of Barangay Cambuga Chair Domingo Ruedas in Mulanay on April 7, both in Quezon province.

Also listed was the gun attack on Barangay Santiago Chair Mario Flores on April 20 in San Pablo City, Laguna.

Gaoiran said more policemen would be deployed to the areas of concern if a police review of security situations called for it.

Between April 15 and April 26, police arrested 69 people for violation of the election gun ban and seized 57 firearms, five bladed weapons and a grenade.