THE Davao City Police Office (DCPO) identified three areas of concern, with high possibility of occurrence of political violence due to presence of lawless armed groups.

“The areas of concern still remain to be Paquibato, Marilog and Baguio District,” Police Chief Inspector Ma. Teresita Gaspan, DCPO spokesperson, said in an interview.

She said they have yet to consult with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to determine whether there are other areas of concern.

“There might be some atrocities that may happen that might affect the holding of election,” said.

There are two categories for areas of concern. For the first category, these are areas that have high possibility of politically-motivated incidents without the involvement of terror groups. The areas placed under the second category are those areas with presence or high risk of threat from different armed groups.

This April 23, Gaspan said they will be having a coordinating conference with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and other local security forces to iron out security measures for the peaceful and orderly conduct of the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections as well as to determine the final list of areas of concern and election hotspots.

They have also conducted intensified checkpoints throughout the city in adherence to the Omnibus Election Parameters.

Since the gun ban has already taken effect last Saturday, April 14, she said they have not recorded violators. The gun ban will end on May 21.