CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz has recommended to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) that not only the first district but the entire province of Nueva Ecija be placed under its “election watchlist” arising from the province’s violent election history.
De la Cruz said that initially, he considered only the towns of Aliaga, Cuyapo, Guimba, Licab, Nampicuan, Quezon, Sto. Domingo, Talavera and Zaragoza in the first district for inclusion in the watch list, but that he decided to cover the entire province after another study of the electoral history in the other areas.
He said that police operations in the past year have significantly downsized armed groups in Nueva Ecija, but there are reports that other groups still exist, including so-called gun-for-hire groups which are paid for missions to kill.
De la Cruz said that political rivalries continue to loom in the May polls in the province, as he cited conflicts among the prominent political clans of the Esquivels, Umali, Joson, and Perez.
Only Nueva Ecija among the seven provinces in Central Luzon is in the election watchlist as recommended by the police to the Comelec, he added.
Last Jan. 7, the Philippine National Police (PNP) identified Nueva Ecija as among the 14 problematic provinces in the coming elections nationwide, but the reference then was only to the province’s first district.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa then said that 68 identified private armed groups still had to be dismantled in these areas before the May polls
Apart from Nueva Ecija, the other provinces identified as “areas of concern” were Ilocos Norte, Abra and Masbate in Luzon; Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Antique in the Visayas; and Basilan, Sulu, Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Sarangani and Zamboanga Sibugay in Mindanao.
Verzosa said that the provinces were cited on the basis of intense political rivalry, prevalence of loose firearms, presence of rebel and private armed groups and a history of election-related violence during the 2007 and 2004 polls.
The number of areas of concern identified for the 2010 elections is about 55 percent more than that of the 2007 midterm polls where only nine provinces were declared as problematic.
De la Cruz said that initially, he considered only the towns of Aliaga, Cuyapo, Guimba, Licab, Nampicuan, Quezon, Sto. Domingo, Talavera and Zaragoza in the first district for inclusion in the watch list, but that he decided to cover the entire province after another study of the electoral history in the other areas.
He said that police operations in the past year have significantly downsized armed groups in Nueva Ecija, but there are reports that other groups still exist, including so-called gun-for-hire groups which are paid for missions to kill.
De la Cruz said that political rivalries continue to loom in the May polls in the province, as he cited conflicts among the prominent political clans of the Esquivels, Umali, Joson, and Perez.
Only Nueva Ecija among the seven provinces in Central Luzon is in the election watchlist as recommended by the police to the Comelec, he added.
Last Jan. 7, the Philippine National Police (PNP) identified Nueva Ecija as among the 14 problematic provinces in the coming elections nationwide, but the reference then was only to the province’s first district.
PNP chief Director General Jesus Verzosa then said that 68 identified private armed groups still had to be dismantled in these areas before the May polls
Apart from Nueva Ecija, the other provinces identified as “areas of concern” were Ilocos Norte, Abra and Masbate in Luzon; Western Samar, Eastern Samar and Antique in the Visayas; and Basilan, Sulu, Maguindanao, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Sarangani and Zamboanga Sibugay in Mindanao.
Verzosa said that the provinces were cited on the basis of intense political rivalry, prevalence of loose firearms, presence of rebel and private armed groups and a history of election-related violence during the 2007 and 2004 polls.
The number of areas of concern identified for the 2010 elections is about 55 percent more than that of the 2007 midterm polls where only nine provinces were declared as problematic.
