PNP: Declare 12 Central Luzon towns areas of concern

MANILA, Philippines — The police office in charge of Central Luzon has recommended that 12 towns under its jurisdiction be deemed “areas of concern” for this year’s midterm elections.

Police Regional Office 3 director Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said that they had submitted their recommendation to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for review and approval. Some of the municipalities are in the provinces of Nueva Ecija, Bataan, Bulacan and Pampanga.

“Historically, there are intense political rivalries in Central Luzon. There were cases of violent incidents here in the past elections and we are now focusing on these areas,” he told reporters.

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On Thursday, the Comelec will hold a press briefing at Camp Crame on the areas of concern for next year’s elections together with the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

According to Maranan, they are monitoring a private armed group in Nueva Ecija, adding that he has ordered police commanders to intensify operations against remnants of private armed groups and loose firearms in the region.

“Right now, our political situation in Region 3 is manageable. It’s inevitable that sometimes there are incidents, but we continue to validate them,” he said.

Maranan also reported that they had dismantled five criminal gangs in the region in the last quarter of 2024 as part of election preparations. A total of 1,346 firearms were also seized from October to December last year. —Frances Mangosing