MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE) The Philippine National Police is beefing up its intelligence operations to determine the so-called election hot spots, or places where election-related violent incidents prevail, as the deadline for the filing of candidacy nears.

Senior Superintendent Leonardo Espina, police spokesman, said the PNP is set to release the list of election hot spots by November, as the Commission on Elections finalizes the list of candidates for the 2010 elections.

But PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa said in a separate interview that the police’s Intelligence Unit has already identified several election hotspots, but declined to name them pending the deadline of the filing of certificates of candidacy.

Verzosa also stressed that the list could change depending on the list of candidates obtained from Comelec.

In the meantime, Espina said the PNP is continuously monitoring the previous election hot spots and assessing their internal security for possible adjustments.

The earlier identified hot spots are the provinces of Abra, Basilan, Sulu, Lanao Del Sur, Lanao Del Norte, Masbate, Nueva Ecija, Samar, and Maguindanao.

“As of this time we are gathering all information on the most probable scenarios,” Espina said in an interview.

In the meantime, Espina said the PNP is stepping up its efforts to bring down the number of “loose” firearms in a bid to stop election-related violent incidents.

Police estimates there are currently one million loose firearms in the country.