Cordillera election ‘hotspots’ rise to 28

By Dexter A. See

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet — The regional police office based here and the Commission on Elections revealed Thursday election hotspots in the region have increased to 28 because of intense political rivalry among feuding politicians as the May 2010 election approaches.

From the original 21 areas under the election watch list, seven other towns were added after the authorities validated reports of intense political rivalries among feuding politicians as well as the increased activities of communist rebels.

Lawyer Julius Torres, Comelec regional director, said the inclusion of an area under control of the poll body will be dependent upon the final recommendations to be made by the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines which will be available by the end of April.

The municipalities included in the election watch list are 14 in Abra, seven in Mountain Province, four in Kalinga and three in Apayao.

However, Torres refused to divulge the initial areas in the election watchlist since final validation and assessment is now underway prior to the final list which will be released by the Comelec anytime before the elections.

For his part, Chief Supt. Villamor A. Bumanglag, regional police director, said law enforcers will exercise their powers to the fullest, especially against erring politicians and their supporters, so the public will not accuse them of siding with a certain party since the police and military are apolitical.

Bumanglag said the region’s 4,000-strong police force is ready to face the challenges of the upcoming elections, thus, unscrupulous politicians and their supporters should not test their mettle since they will exert the full force of the law against them to teach them a lesson.

He added isolated incidents have occurred the past days that are politically-motivated, but such instances should not hinder their desire to achieve clean, honest, orderly and peaceful elections.

Based on existing guidelines, the two classifications of areas under the election watch list are those areas with previous election-related violence and incidents and those places that are influenced by armed groups such as private armies and the communist rebels.

Bumanglag said the police will do everything within their powers to sustain the relentless efforts of both national and local governments to have clean, honest, orderly and peaceful elections.

He said there are good indications that the conduct of the first nationwide automated elections in the country will be far more peaceful than previous elections. He said this will be instrumental in stabilizing law and order, especially in depressed areas in the region where politically-motivated crimes have been recorded.