The Philippine National Police (PNP) has validated 11 election-related incidents (ERIs) since the official election period began on January 12, according to PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo.
In a radio interview on Sunday, Fajardo said a total of 39 suspected ERIs had been reported as of March 28. Of these, 11 were confirmed as election-related, five are still under validation, and 23 were found to be unrelated to the upcoming May 12 elections.
Five of the validated incidents are undergoing preliminary investigation, while the remaining cases are in the buildup stage.
“What we want to look after is for these incidents to not escalate into something more serious, especially now that the local campaign period has started,” Fajardo said, noting that local elections tend to be more heated than national ones.
In response, PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil has ordered intensified monitoring of election areas of concern. The number of such areas has decreased from 403 on March 19 to 386, which Fajardo attributed to swift police action addressing concerns raised by political candidates.
Under the Commission on Elections (Comelec) classification, areas are tagged as follows:
- Red: Serious armed threats and history of ERIs
- Orange: Serious armed threats
- Yellow: History of ERIs
- Green: Relatively peaceful
“Hopefully, as election day draws near, we’ll see a further decrease in areas of concern,” Fajardo said.
To ensure public safety during the campaign period for local candidates, which began on March 28, the PNP has placed all units on heightened alert and canceled all police officers’ leave.
“At least 75 percent of the PNP’s total strength must be readily available for deployment,” Fajardo said.
The campaign period for senatorial and party-list candidates began on February 11. All candidates are allowed to campaign until May 10.