MANILA, (PNA) — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Thursday announced that it is closely monitoring 7,060 out of the 42,028 barangays nationwide this coming barangay elections.
This was after assessments revealed they are hotspots for the Oct. 28 barangay polls.
Director Cipriano Querol, PNP director for intelligence, said that of the 7,060 barangays considered as hotspots, 6,904 of them are classified as “election areas of concern” which are of lesser concern as compared to the 156 which are classified as “election areas of immediate concern” or these areas need more attention.
He said these barangays were classified as such due to existing political rivalry and presence of threat groups.
Querol added that these barangays are mostly in Masbate, Compostela Valley, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Central Mindanao region, and parts of the Bicol region.
The PNP recorded seven election-related violent incidents involving the killing of three barangay chairmen and the wounding of three others since the start of the election period on Sept. 28 up to Oct. 9.