THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has allowed chairman Saidamen Pangarungan to place areas under its direct control ahead of the May 9 polls.
In a press conference, Pangarungan said that he has been authorized to place election areas of concern under Comelec control “in urgent and meritorious cases” to expedite the process.
The Comelec en banc previously had the authority to place areas in the country under its control.
“For example, there is a gun battle in Lanao del Sur, I don’t need to wait for another week to convene the Committee on the Ban of Firearms to declare it under Comelec control,” said Pangarungan.
Under Comelec Resolution No. 10757, any political division, subdivision, unit, or area may be placed under Comelec control when the peace and order situation in the area may affect the conduct of elections.
Grounds for the declaration of Comelec control include having history of or current intense rivalry among contending parties, areas that have been previously declared under Comelec Control, incidence of politically-motivated violence involving aspirants/candidates and/or their supporters, violence that maybe facilitated by the employment of Private Armed Groups (PAGs), and presence of serious armed threats posed by the communist terrorist group (CTG) and/or other threat groups including the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Maute Group, and other analogous threat groups.
