AN OFFICIAL of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) said on Wednesday, March 20, the declaration of the poll body classifying the entire Mindanao under category “red” election hot spot is no longer surprising.
Cocpo spokesperson Superintendent Mardy Hortillosa II said it is instead better to place the island as “areas of grave concern” so government security forces could focus on election-related issues in Mindanao.
Hortillosa said the government could also look into all terrorists, including the New People’s Army (NPA) and other threat groups.
“Nagpasalamat kita nga gi-declare dili tungod kay madaot ang Mindanao kundili para matutokan ang mga issues sa election lakip na terorismo (we are thankful that it was declared, not because it can destroy Mindanao, but authorities can focus on election issues including terrorism),” Hortillosa said.
He said the declaration would also mean more deployment of police and military forces, not necessarily in the city, but in other areas in Mindanao.
Hortillosa said this would thwart election-related violence, possible terror attacks, insurgency, and harassment by the communist rebels and other threat groups.
“Kini para malikayan ang election-related violence ug kaning pagpanghasi labi na sa issue sa permit to campaign and permit to win kay mao na ang gipangayo sa NPA sa mga politiko which is makatabang dayon sa ila nga mapakusog ilang pwersa kay naa na silay pondo,” he said.
(This is also to avoid election-related violence, including the threats, especially when thE NPA would ask “permits to campaign” and “permit to win” from politicians, which will help their force stronger because they have the funds from these schemes.)
However, the city police is still waiting for the official directive from the higher headquarters on how to go about with the recent development.
Hortillosa said the city remains classified as area of immediate concern or “orange” category, which means two of the parameters of “red” category are present.
The parameters for an area to be listed under grave concern include two or more factors on the following: election-related violence for the last two elections, intense political rivalry, presence of partisan armed group, occurrence of election-related violence during the current election period, areas has been previously placed under Commission on Elections control and presence of serious threat from NPA, Abu Sayaff Group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, Moro National Liberation Front or Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
“Accordingly red ang category pero wala pa tay memo from higher headquarters kay paaboton nato unsa gyud gusto nila ipabuhat sa pag-declare aning taas nga level sa classification,” Hortillosa said.
(Accordingly, the category given was red, but there was no memo yet from the higher headquarters because we have yet to wait, what do they really want us to do after declaring this kind of a high level classification.)
He also said that other areas in Mindanao will also be assessed.