Additional police deployed
to ‘volatile’ Iloilo towns
The Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) announced additional police units have been deployed to Lemery, Sara, Estancia, and Carles.
According to IPPO director, Police Colonel Marlon Tayaba, the four municipalities are of particular concern and law enforcement will be there to “control and prevent them from doing any crime.”
While Police Regional Office-6 (PRO-6) considers Lemery a “Category Red,” which considers the locality an area of grave concern;” Sara, Estancia, and Carles are under “orange status,” which signifies the presence of armed groups.
Police fear such groups can be used to buy votes or threaten voters.
In Negros Occidental, the local Commission on Elections placed both Himamaylan City and Moises Padilla under “Category Red.”
Meanwhile, several other areas have been placed under “orange status,” including Toboso, Isabela, Hinoba-an, and Kabankalan City./WDJ