BAGUIO CITY — The Philippine National Police (PNP) is placing the province of Abra in its watchlist of 5,744 election hotspots nationwide, PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde disclosed in a media briefing here on Friday.
“There has always been a history of violence every time there are elections in Abra,” he said.
On the initial days of the filing of candidacy that started on April 14, Victor Pisco, a village councilor in Barangay Monggok, Pidigan, Abra was shot dead while leaving his residence with his wife Elida, the incumbent barangay captain.
Police investigation showed Pisco filed his certificate of candidacy on the same day for barangay captain.
Albayalde was going around the various regions in the country to check on the local communities’ preparedness for the May 14 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.
The PNP chief said an intensified information dissemination, peace caravans, and dialogues are set to be held in Abra ahead of election day to tone down election rivalry in the province.
Albayalde added law enforcers are also doing some intelligence works, particularly in Abra, to address the so-called “gun-for-hire” operations.
According to him, the PNP has tagged 5,744 critical election watchlist areas (EWA) or “hotspots” nationwide, 34 are in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
He explained that for a place to be considered a “hotspot”, the place harbors an intense political rivalry, involving physical injuries, insurgency, and killings.
The police general also said the PNP has a Special Action Force (SAF) regularly stationed in Abra, aside from the provincial and municipal police force.
He said the police augmentation was to help on checkpoints and in the PNP’s “Oplan Sita”, which is linked to the election gun ban.
Albayalde said almost 80 percent of the whole 190,000 cops in the country might be deployed nationwide, especially in election “hotspots” to assure the safe and peaceful election this May.
He led Friday’s media briefing here called “The commander’s time” for journalists from Regions 1, 2, and the Cordillera. (PNP)
