| The town of Boac in Marinduque was placed under Category Yellow. Category Yellow areas had election-related incidents in the last two elections, intense partisan political rivalry and possible employment of partisan armed groups. It is however, possible that with the formal withdrawal of certain candidates, this 2019 midterm election could turn out to be the most peaceful election ever held in the province of Marinduque.  |
| Police Brig. Gen. Tomas Apolinario Jr., director of the MIMAROPA regional police (PRO MIMAROPA / MANILA BULLETIN) |
CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – Close to 5,600 police
personnel in Mimaropa (Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque,
Romblon, Palawan) will be deployed for election duty in the region including to
those municipalities which have been declared areas of grave and immediate
concern by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Police Brig Gen. Tomas C. Apolinario, Mimaropa police chief,
said officer assigned at the regional headquarters and Regional Support Units,
special teams belonging to the Quick Reaction Forces and the Army 203rd
Brigade will be deployed.
Apolinario said at least 30 election hotspots have been in
the region, with four municipalities in Palawan and Oriental Mindoro tagged as
areas of grave concern located.
In Palawan, the towns of Quezon, Roxas and Bataraza and
Bongabong in Oriental Mindoro have been categorized as Red under the Comelec
classification, meaning they are areas with a serious threat posed by the New
People’s Army (NPA), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other terrorist
groups.
Categorized as Orange are nine towns in Occidental Mindoro,
seven in Oriental Mindoro and six in Palawan.
The Category Orange towns in Occidental Mindoro are Abra de
Ilog, Magsaysay, Mamburao, Paluan, Sablayan, San Jose, Sta. Cruz, Calintaan
and Rizal; in Oriental Mindoro are the towns of Bulalacao, Gloria, Pola,
Naujan, Mansalay, Socorro and Bansud; in Palawan are Dumaran, Rizal, San
Vicente, Sofronio Espanola, Taytay and Brooke’s Point.
Under Category Yellow are Aborlan, Narra, Puerto Princesa
City in Palawan and Boac in Marinduque.
Category Yellow areas had election-related incidents in the
last two elections, intense partisan political rivalry and possible employment
of partisan armed groups. - MANILA BULLETIN
