650 cops sent to poll ‘hot spots’ in Agusan Norte

About 650 police personnel have been deployed to the province of Agusan del Norte in southern Philippines to man 15 areas considered as “hot spots" where violence may erupt in the upcoming barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls on Monday, a local police official said Saturday. Agusan del Norte police chief Senior Superintendent Nestor Monton Fajura said that the province’s entire police force has already been positioned in the area, where 15 barangays have earlier been identified as “hot spots" due to incidents of election-related violence. “We already deployed close to 650 policemen in the entire province’s ten towns and component city while in tight watch in 15 barangays of the province classified under watchlist areas," Fajura said in a phone interview. He added that these barangays are being closely watched due to a strong presence of communist-led New People’s Army rebels in the area and due to intense political rivalries that may trigger violence. Last Thursday, reelectionist barangay councilor Rommel Moldez was shot dead by still unidentified men and women inside his house in Santiago town. (See: Re-electionist Barangay Kagawad shot dead in Agusan del Norte) Fajura likewise said that the local police have received reports of the proliferation of loose firearms among small-scale miners and other civilians in the province. The police are still tracking down the sources of these firearms as of posting time, he added.—Ben Serrano/ACC/JV, GMANews.TV