NCR cops issue contradictory poll reports

MANILA, Philippines - Police officials issued yesterday contrasting reports on election hot spots and areas of concern for the Oct. 28 polls.

Senior Superintendent Roberto Fajardo, head of the National Capital Region-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, said there are no areas of concern or hot spots in the metropolis.

He based his statement on an announcement by the Commission on Elections during a meeting with top police and military officials on Wednesday. An area is a hot spot if there has been a violent incident in the past national and local elections, according to the Comelec.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Chief Superintendent Marcelo Garbo Jr., however, said they are monitoring six “areas of concern” in Metro Manila.

“These areas were identified based on past experiences and the intense rivalry among the candidates,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an NCRPO conference in Quezon City. 

Garbo, when asked to identify the areas, said he could not remember them. He had his aides look for the list. The conference ended with Garbo still being unable to name these areas.

The 18,000-strong NCRPO, beefed up by 200 military personnel, will secure more than 7,000 polling precincts in the metropolis.