Bangued: Police in Abra province have added the municipalities of Bangued and Pilar as election hotspots for the upcoming May 2025 mid-term polls by placing these areas under the “orange” category. Col. Damian Olsim, Regional Intelligence Division chief of the Police Regional Office Cordillera Administrative Region (PROCAR), identified these areas during the meeting of the Cordillera Regional Joint Control Center (RJSCC) at the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-CAR office here on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Philippines News Agency, areas under the “orange” category are considered to have serious armed threats. During the RJSCC meeting last December, the only municipality under this category was Bucay. Meanwhile, those in the “yellow” category, or areas with a history of election-related incidents, include the towns of Lagayan, Pidigan, Tayum, Tineg, Dolores, and Langangilang in Abra; and Lubuagan in Kalinga, due to existing tribal conflict between Mabongtot and Lubuagan sub-tribes.

The municipality of Penarrubia in Abra, which was previously categorized as “yellow,” has been downgraded to “green,” indicating no election-related security concerns. “The goal is (to) always (have) a peaceful election, to maintain an orderly election,” said Comelec-CAR director Atty. Julius Torres, who assured continuous monitoring of the situation, particularly in the non-“green” areas.

PROCAR chief Brig. Gen. David Peredo noted that there are 67 towns and cities in the region under the “green” category, seven under “yellow,” and three under “orange.” He mentioned that additional personnel have been deployed since December to ensure an orderly election in Abra, a region with a history of election-related violence. Despite these concerns, Peredo remains hopeful that the situation will not escalate.