221 Caraga barangays eyed as election hot spots

BUTUAN CITY — The Caraga police and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are thinking of declaring at least five barangays "areas of immediate concern" and 216 others "areas of concern," bringing to 221 the number of probable hot spots in the region in the May 14 elections.

Chief Superintendent Antonio Dator Nañas, Caraga police director, said plans to categorize the 221 barangays as poll hot spots were based on the presence of communist rebels collecting campaign fees, the intense political rivalries among local politicians and poll-related violence in these areas in the 2004 elections.

The Comelec regional office said it depends on the assessment of the Philippine National Police in identifying localities as "areas of immediate concern" or "areas of concern."

The barangays tagged as probable areas of immediate concern are Sta. Teresa in Loreto, Agusan del Sur; Kaimpogan in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur; Magtanggali in San Francisco, Surigao del Norte; Cansayong in Malimono, Surigao del Norte; and Mahanob in Gigaquit, Surigao del Norte.

Possibly to be declared areas of concern are eight barangays in Butuan City, 24 in Agusan del Norte, 63 in Agusan del Sur, 45 in Surigao del Norte, and 43 in Surigao del Sur.

The New People’s Army (NPA), according to the Army, rakes in millions of pesos in its extortion activities.

The Army’s 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro City which has jurisdiction over the Caraga region said at least two mayors in Agusan del Sur had admitted receiving demand letters from the NPA.

Fourteen NPA units operate in Mindanao: nine in the northeastern front and five in the north-central front.

"Right now they are raising their demands. They are now requiring folk in the countryside to give them seven-ton high quality rice instead of the usual NFA (National Food Authority) rice and sapsap instead of tamban," said 4th ID chief Maj. Gen. Jose Barbierto.

Barbieto said they have submitted to Camp Crame and concerned government agencies a list of politicians who had given in to the NPA demands.

Nañas said his men are worried about the intense rivalries that may arise among local politicians once the campaign period starts.

"We pray that these intense rivalries would not be the source of election-related violence, especially among the supporters of politicians who are campaigning in the field," Nañas said.