The Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Friday there are already a number of areas in the country that could be declared as “hot spots.”

Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said they already received several letters from local government officials regarding security concerns for the forthcoming polls.

“There were initial reports relayed to us from Comelec officials all over the Philippines providing some areas where there were concerns about security,” he said.

Larrazabal, however, refused to name the areas saying it would be premature to make it public as the Comelec en banc is still studying the letters.

“Concurrently, we are studying the reports. We spoke with the regional directors of the Comelec all over the Philippines for them to submit their reports on election-related violent incidents and instances in the past elections where there were election related violence,” he said.

“Based on those data, we will have an idea which provinces will be considered as areas of concern, areas of immediate concern, and areas to be placed under Comelec control,” added Larrazabal.

The poll official said they are also coordinating with the police authorities regarding the concerns of local officials. In the past, election “hot spots” have been found in Muslim regions in Mindanao.

In the past, the Comelec has been issuing a list on which areas will be considered as areas of concern, areas of immediate concern, and areas under Comelec control.

Meanwhile, the police forces in Metro Manila have been ordered to tighten security in the National Capital Region to avert any electionrelated violence, now that the election period is nearing. (With a report by Jean Fernando)