LEGAZPI CITY — Only 666 villages in the Bicol Region are considered as hotspot areas in the coming elections, placing the region second in the list of election hotspots following Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
PNP Bicol spokesperson Police Senior Inspector Maria Luisa Calubaquib in an interview on Tuesday said it has submitted to the PNP central office the corrected figure, contrary to earlier media report.
The report quoted PNP spokesman Police Chief Supt. John Bulalacao, citing Bicol as the top-ranked region with 1,245 hotspot villages followed by the ARMM.
Calubaquib said most of the 666 Bicol hotspot villages were from Masbate.
She added there are currently 3,471 villages in Bicol.
An area is considered an “election hotspot” when it has history of the intense partisan political rivalry, there have been incidents in the past that are politically-motivated and election-related, there is a presence of threat groups, and proliferation of firearms. (PNA)
