A TOTAL of 38 areas of concern have been placed under ‘red category’ in connection with the May 12, 2025 National and Local Elections (NLE), owing to serious threats in the said areas.
This was confirmed by Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Thursday and based on the poll body’s list, 32 of the said areas are in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), two each from the Cagayan Valley and Bicol Region and one each from the Western and Eastern Visayas.
Also included in the said areas are Jones and Maconacon In Isabela; Baleno and Masbate City in Masbate; Calinog, Iloilo; Santa Margarita, Western Samar; Al Barka and Hadji Mohammad Ajul in Basilan; Butig, Maguing, Marawi City, Tubaran, Tugaya, Bacolod-Kalawi, Bayang, Binidayan, Buadiposo Buntong, Marantao, Marogong, Pualas and Saguiaran in Lanao del Sur; Cotabato City and Datu Odin Sinsuat in Maguindanao del Norte; Paglat, Rajah Buayan, South Upi, Sultan Barongis Lambayong, Ampatuan, Datu Piang, Datu Salibo, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, Mamasapano, Shariff Saydon Mustapha, Buluan and Datu Paglas in Maguindanao del Sur and Mangudadatu in Tawi-Tawi.
There are 177 areas of concern under the orange category; 188 in yellow category and 1,239 under the green category.
Under the orange category, 48 are in Bicol; 22 in BARMM; 17 in Caraga; 16 in Central Visayas; 15 in Cagayan Valley; 13 in Eastern Visayas; 12 in Mimaropa; 11 in Soccsksargen; nine in Western Visayas; eight in Northern Mindanao; three in Zamboanga Peninsula and one each in Central Luzon, Calabarzon and Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).
Of those under yellow category, 49 are in BARMM; 22 in Northern Mindanao; 19 in Ilocos; 18 in Zamboanga Peninsula; 13 each in Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas; 11 in Caraga; 10 in CAR; nine in Cagayan Valley; seven in Calabarzon, Western Visayas and Central Visayas; two in Soccsksargen and one in Mimaropa.
Election areas of concern classifications have four categories: green, yellow, orange and red.
Green refers to places with no security concerns and that are generally peaceful and orderly. Those under yellow are places with history of election-related incidents in the past two elections, with possible employment of private armed groups and election-related incidents amd formerly placed under Comelec control.
Those in the orange category are areas of immediate concern where there are serious armed threats while those in the red category are areas of grave concern with combined factors under the yellow category and serious armed threats. They will be considered to be put under Comelec Control.
According to Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco, the said areas have been recommended by the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for inclusion in areas of concern and have been approved as such by the Comelec en banc.
Laudiangco said the list may still be subject to change once the campaign period starts.
