The Commission on Elections does not see the need to elevate Albuera town in Leyte province to a "red" category for areas with concern despite the recent shooting of mayoral candidate Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa.

Espinosa, a self-confessed drug lord, was shot and wounded during a campaign sortie in his hometown in Leyte on Thursday afternoon.

“So far naman, mukhang hindi kinakailangang magtaas ng classification doon sa lugar kasi naman base sa imbestigasyon ng PNP [Philippine National Police], meron na silang nakikitang maaaring responsible dito o kaya ay pwedeng mapanagot,” Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia told reporters in a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Friday. 

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He added, “Sa amin, in the meantime, sapat na. Bakit natin babaguhin ang kabuuan ng siyudad o bayan kung hindi naman apektado at meron lamang iilan na responsible dito?”

Albuera is placed under the yellow category. Areas classified as yellow have a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections, possible employment of private armed groups (PAGs), and occurrence of election-related incidents.

Red, meanwhile, refers to areas with grave concern with combined factors under the yellow category and serious armed threats.

Seven police officers are considered “persons of interest” in connection with the shooting, according to the Philippine National Police.

They are currently in the custody of the Leyte Provincial Police Office for investigation. 

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“We’re trying to investigate those who are involved sa shooting incident sa Leyte. Sabi ko nga, I want to make sure that these people go to jail,” PNP chief General Rommel Francisco Marbil said.

“The PNP remains apolitical, neutral sa eleksyon,” he assured the public.

Garcia called on the PNP to resolve the shooting of Espinosa.

“Ang immediate action ng ating PNP chief, kahanga-hanga po yun—ang nangyari kahapon sa Leyte at may immediate action sila. Kailangang may managot… tumatakbo ang personalidad na biktima kahapon,” the Comelec chairman said.

“Hindi po natin kayang pigilan ang isang krimen dahil meron at meron talagang gagawa niyan, pero ang importante ay maaresto ang gumawa ng krimen. ‘Yan ang aming laging pakiusap sa PNP,” he added.

‘AREAS OF CONCERN’ CLASSIFICATION

The Philippines’ areas of concern classification has four categories: green, yellow, orange and red. 

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As of March 19, the Comelec has placed 36 areas across the country under the red category. This refers to areas with grave concern and serious armed threats for the polls. 

The poll body has also identified 156 areas under the orange category. These are areas of immediate concern where there are serious armed threats.

Under yellow, the areas of concern have a history of election-related incidents in the last two elections, possible employment of private armed groups (PAGs), and occurrence of election-related incidents. The areas have also been previously declared under Comelec control.

A total of 194 cities and municipalities are under this category.

Meanwhile, green refers to areas that do not have security concerns, and are generally peaceful and orderly. There are 1,256 areas under the green category.