Nolcom commander Lt. Gen. Bonifacio Ramos told The STAR that the military, which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has asked to augment police forces in the two provinces, will help disarm these groups to ensure peaceful elections.
"The military in the entire Abra province has been instructed to assist the police since the entire province has been declared under Comelec control," he said.
Ramos, however, said no additional troops will be sent to Abra, adding that the soldiers deployed there are capable of helping the local police maintain peace and order during the rest of the campaign period and on election day.
Ramos expressed concern though about the situation in the "peripheral towns" of Abra, particularly Lacub and Buklok, where he said private armies have been reported.
He said the military is also on alert in the Nueva Ecija cities of Cabanatuan, Muñoz, Gapan and San Jose and the municipalities of Gabaldon, Carranglan and Jaen, which have been declared "areas of concern."
"We do not have problems with the rest of the province," he said.
Ramos, however, said the peace and order situation in Nueva Ecija now is better than in past elections.
"In the 2001 elections, 21 towns of Nueva Ecija were considered hot spots, and in the 2004 polls, this number went down to only 11 towns. Now we have only seven," he said.
Ramos could not say though how many private armed groups exist in Abra and Nueva Ecija, but stressed that the military will help the police immobilize them, particularly through the setting up of more checkpoints.
"There is in effect a gun ban, so we will arrest those caught with firearms at checkpoints and turn them over to the police," he said.
Apart from Nueva Ecija and Abra, Ramos said there has been no request for military intervention in other areas under the jurisdiction of Nolcom, which covers all provinces north of Metro Manila.
"The military men in Nueva Ecija and Abra will go on with their internal security operations, but will be on alert for any election-related call for assistance from the Comelec," he said.