The National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Thursday said it is closely monitoring 10 out of 17 localities in Metro Manila for being potential hotspots in the coming elections.

Maj. Gen. Reynaldo B. Mapagu, NCRCOM commander, said this, even as he also declared that so far, there is still no identified private armed group (PAG) in Metro Manila.

Mapagu said the AFP, particularly the NCRCOM is closely coordinating with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to ensure an honest, orderly, and peaceful elections in May. He added the poll body and the NCR Command of the Philippine National Police (PNP) have provided them a watch list of areas in Metro Manila that have the potentials to become hotspots during the elections.

He said these areas are Manila, Pasay City, Pasig City, Malabon, Caloocan City, Quezon City, Makati City, Valenzuela, Marikina City, and Parañaque City.

“The areas included in the watch list are not yet considered hot spots but there are areas worthy to be watched because the potentials are there,” said Mapagu, stressing that the reason why these 10 areas in Metro Manila are being watched is because of their record of having election-related violence or intense political rivalry during the past elections in 2007 and 2004.

Mapagu particularly noted that in the 2007 elections, there were two election-related violence in 2007, two in Pasay City, two in Malabon, and one in Pasig City.

In 2004, the NCRCOM chief said election-related violence was also noted in Pasay City, Caloocan City, Pasig City, Malabon, Makati, Valenzuela, Marikina, and Parañaque.

Because of their historical records when it comes to election-related violence, authorities are now conducting a more intense monitoring on these areas.

Mapagu also said that of date, no one among their NCRCOM personnel have been detailed with candidates as most of those being detailed to politicians come from the police upon request of those concerned.