MANILA -- While the overall situation in Metro Manila remains calm, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Monday law enforcers in Mindanao are on a full alert status for the week-long filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the 2013 polls.
The PNP said all six Mindanao-based police regional offices including the elite Special Action Force (SAF) remain on full alert condition with 100 percent operational readiness to respond to contingencies.
Director General Nicanor Bartolome, PNP chief, earlier called on all police regional directors in the Visayas and Mindanao to enhance security preparations for this week's COC filing period in coordination with authorities from the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
One of the most recent and gruesome election-related violence in the country – the Maguindanao Massacre – took place in Mindanao, where 58 people were killed including 34 media workers.
The incident, which occurred on the morning of November 23, 2009, was allegedly perpetrated by members of the Ampatuan clan who were seeking re-election in the province.
Some of the victims were reportedly on their way to file a COC for Esmael Mangudadatu, then vice mayor of Buluan town, who was challenging one of the Ampatuan family members.
Meanwhile, the police alert status in Luzon and Visayas remain normal despite the intensified security in local offices of the Comelec.
In the nation's capital, the overall situation on the first day of the COC-filing week remains "generally peaceful" and that security around the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila has been beefed up, Metro Manila police chief Leonardo Espina said.
The PNP also said the first day of the COC-filing "was accentuated by convoys, caravans, marching bands and festive atmosphere." (Emmanuel Louis Bacani/Sunnex)