The Commission on Elections, in tandem with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and National Police, is expected to start validating the election watchlist areas and reported existence of private armed groups in Western Visayas, at a joint conference today, at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City.

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz, regional police director of Western Visayas, yesterday said the validation of EWAS and PAGs could not be done in one sitting.

The Police Regional Office 6 had earlier identified 315 barangays in Western Visayas as hot spot areas for the 2013 midterm elections, 122 of which are in Negros Occidental, based on the 2010 elections.

Cruz said security preparations for next year's national and local elections will also be tackled, as well as the guidelines for providing security, and the implementation of the Comelec gun ban, starting Jan. 13 next year.

“We want to ensure that the election in Western Visayas is peaceful and orderly,” he added.

The AFP and the PNP are agencies deputized by the Comelec to provide security and ensure the safety of the public during the elections.

Cruz also reported that no significant incident related to the coming elections are noted in Western Visayas, so far. Hopefully, this will continue, he added.

The PNP is also closely monitoring the five identified private armies in Western Visayas, which are now inactive.

They are, however, entertaining the possibility that the services of these inactive private armies may be tapped in the months leading to the May 2013 polls.*GPB

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