MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to adopt a color-coding system in identifying hotspots in the upcoming Barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) polls.
“We will have a calibrated categorization system – green, yellow, orange, and red,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told a press conference Friday.
Jimenez said that they are talking with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines regarding the declaration of election hotspots.
Under the proposed color-coding scheme, code green would mean no problem and cause for concern; while an area will be under code yellow if it has history of political unrest.
Code orange will indicate the presence of armed groups, and code red for those deemed as critical areas.
“From the operational side, the point of the color coding is to basically create an expectation on what will be the Comelec’s response, including the augmentation of forces,” Jimenez added.
He said the plan to adopt the color-coding scheme is part of their preparation for the 2019 midterm polls.
“We are preparing for 2019. We are trying to systematize. It’s part of the ongoing process to improve electoral management,” he said.
Earlier, the PNP identified a total of 7,544 election hotspots throughout the country ahead of the village and youth polls on May 14. (PNA)
