PREDICT, Plan, Prepare, Practice, Perform Professionally. These are the main things that will be done by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as it prepares to ensure the conduct of honest, orderly and peaceful May 2022 national and local elections, PNP chief, General Dionardo B. Carlos told the Journal Group.

According to the top cop, those Ps will remain to be their main consideration in fulfilling their duties of having fair and secure polls. To do that, he said that all concerned police units have started the process of collating information to determine areas which will be under the election watchlist of areas (EWAs).

Five months ahead of the polls, he said they are validating the EWAs to assist in strategic planning for law enforcement operations to ensure order and security in the forthcoming electoral exercise.

The EWAs are subject to change as a result of the ongoing validation pursuant to a number of factors including the following: the area is relatively peaceful and with no security concerns; occurrence of suspected election related incidents in the last elections; existence of intense partisan political rivalry; possible employment of partisan armed groups; occurrence of politically motivated election related incidents; and previously declared under Comelec control; and presence of serious armed threats posed by the threat groups.

Areas are prioritized according to its color-coded category: Green for peaceful; Yellow for Areas of concern; Orange for Areas of Immediate Concern; and Red for Areas of Grave Concern.

The PNP chief also clarified that this system of classification must not be construed negatively against any local government unit.

“It gives us ample opportunity to suppress criminality or to take a proactive approach in maintaining peace in the community,” Carlos said while adding that this tool has proven time and again its effectiveness in strategizing and rationalizing resource mobilization and deployment.

The top cop said they are also reviewing security preparations of their field commanders for the Yuletide Season and the forthcoming May 22 national and local elections.

“We will look at what they have done since last November 16. We will look at the performance of our regional directors as part of our benchmarking, what they have done following my instructions,” he said.

Carlos said they will conduct a weekly review of the preparations of the 17 police regional offices as they embark on another mission to ensure an honest, orderly and peaceful polls next year.

Last week, the PNP top brass met their counterparts from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to counter-check their respective records of election areas of concern or the so-called ‘poll hot spots.’

The PNP, AFP and PCG form the backbone of the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Council set to carry out election duties next year.

So far, PNP Director for Intelligence, Brigadier Gen. Michael John F. Dubria said they are validating the situation in 488 towns and 58 cities around the country with known previous election-related violent incidents.

There are a total of 1,438 municipalities and 146 cities in the country. Of the 146 cities, 33 are highly-urbanized cities, five are independent component cities while the rest being component cities of their respective provinces.

Dubria said that being subjected to validation prior to their declaration as ‘hot spots’ are 39 municipalities or just three percent of the total 1,438 and seven or five percent of the total 146 cities.

These places are initially considered as ‘critical areas under guard’ by security forces, the official said.

He added that these areas are located in Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Bicol region, Western Visayas and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Carlos said the figures given by Dubria were mere PNP data which will be subject to validation by the JPSCC.

During the 2019 mid-term election, the Commission on Elections declared the entire Mindanao island as Category Red Election Hotspot.

The Mindanao Island Group was joined by other Category Red hotspots Jones, Isabela; Lope de Vega, Northern Samar; and the entire province of Abra.

The Category Red classification may warrant the motu proprio declaration of Comelec Control over the area and the Comelec En Banc may direct the augmentation of PNP and AFP personnel as the need arises.

The declaration was made in the wake of suspected election-related incidents in the last two elections, together with serious armed threats posed by the New People’s Army, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters , Abu Sayyaf Group and rogue elements of the Moro National Liberation Front and/or Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other analogous groups.

The Comelec, PNP and AFP identify and classify election hotspots using the following system of classification: Category Green, referring to areas of no security concern and are relatively peaceful and orderly; Category Yellow, referring to areas with a history of election related violence or the existence of intense partisan political rivalry, but without the participation of domestic terror groups;

Category Orange, referring to areas where, in addition to conditions that would qualify an area as Category Yellow, there are likewise serious armed threats posed by domestic terror groups and other analogous armed groups; and Category Red, referring to areas where, while being under Category Orange, the relevant government agencies declare the existence of conditions which may constitute grounds for the declaration of Comelec control.