from The Philippine Daily Inquirer
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100322-260129/Over-13-of-towns-cities-are-poll-hot-spotsPNP
MANILA, Philippines—Over a third of the country’s towns and cities are election hot spots, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in a report to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
As of February, 571 of the 1,634 towns and cities had seen some form of election-related violence, the PNP said in the report obtained by the Inquirer.
That early—three months before the May 10 elections—the figure had beaten the previous record set during the 2007 midterm elections when there were 307 election hot spots.
The report likewise noted the proliferation of private armies, now numbering 112, despite government efforts to neutralize them.
“For the latest, there are now a total of 571 cities and municipalities listed as EWAs [election watch-list areas] representing 34.94 percent of the total nationwide,” the police report said.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded the most number of violent incidents—all its 118 towns and cities reported election-related violence, the PNP said.
“It is not surprising the ARMM has a number of violent incidents already at this point of the election period. To note, the region has routinely registered high rates of election violence in past elections,” the report said.
Unlike in the past, the PNP this time included communist guerillas in its equation.
In the report, the PNP set two categories: Category 1 referring to areas that had seen election violence, and Category 2 for towns with communist insurgents.
The PNP said it considered the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, a threat because it was using the election period “to consolidate and strengthen their ranks” and “to enrich their coffers” through the extortion of candidates.
Metro Manila came second to ARMM in percentage of election violence. Ten of its 17 cities, or 58.8 percent, reported Category 1 activities, while no communist or insurgent threats were noted.
At the same time, the PNP said there were 112 private armed groups “believed to be operating in the country,” with a total of 3,190 members, with the ARMM again leading the list.
“The ARMM, the region with the most serious problem of private armed groups, has 20 validated groups with 2,856 members,” the report said.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100322-260129/Over-13-of-towns-cities-are-poll-hot-spotsPNP
MANILA, Philippines—Over a third of the country’s towns and cities are election hot spots, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said in a report to the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
As of February, 571 of the 1,634 towns and cities had seen some form of election-related violence, the PNP said in the report obtained by the Inquirer.
That early—three months before the May 10 elections—the figure had beaten the previous record set during the 2007 midterm elections when there were 307 election hot spots.
The report likewise noted the proliferation of private armies, now numbering 112, despite government efforts to neutralize them.
“For the latest, there are now a total of 571 cities and municipalities listed as EWAs [election watch-list areas] representing 34.94 percent of the total nationwide,” the police report said.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) recorded the most number of violent incidents—all its 118 towns and cities reported election-related violence, the PNP said.
“It is not surprising the ARMM has a number of violent incidents already at this point of the election period. To note, the region has routinely registered high rates of election violence in past elections,” the report said.
Unlike in the past, the PNP this time included communist guerillas in its equation.
In the report, the PNP set two categories: Category 1 referring to areas that had seen election violence, and Category 2 for towns with communist insurgents.
The PNP said it considered the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, a threat because it was using the election period “to consolidate and strengthen their ranks” and “to enrich their coffers” through the extortion of candidates.
Metro Manila came second to ARMM in percentage of election violence. Ten of its 17 cities, or 58.8 percent, reported Category 1 activities, while no communist or insurgent threats were noted.
At the same time, the PNP said there were 112 private armed groups “believed to be operating in the country,” with a total of 3,190 members, with the ARMM again leading the list.
“The ARMM, the region with the most serious problem of private armed groups, has 20 validated groups with 2,856 members,” the report said.
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