Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said Sunday Masbate is currently in a “state of political calamity” with a terrorized community such that they are now considering putting the province under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).

Gonzales made his initial assessment of the province following his visit Friday, where he was joined by Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit and Southern Luzon Command (Solcom) commander, Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali. The defense chief visited Masbate as part of the defense and military establishments’ campaign to help Comelec ensure clean and peaceful voting in May.

Gonzales earlier said Masbate could be the next Maguindanao if the present state of lawlessness in the province is not immediately checked.

After visiting the province on Friday, Gonzales described Masbate -- where there has been a spate of election-related killings in the last few months -- as being “in a state of man-made disaster.”

A situation briefing presented to the secretary by the military and the police in the Bicol region also painted the situation in Masbate as “a province where lawlessness is king” where there is a “terrorized community.”

The local state forces have identified 10 private armed groups (PAGs) in the province, four of which have been validated.

Some of the private armed groups in Masbate are moonlighting New People’s Army (NPA) bandits and legitimate government forces. In response to the politicians’ “privatization” of state security elements, the provincial Philippine National Police (PNP) has been revamped and “cleaned” of partisan elements.

Special Task Force Masbate and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) local command also reported that the politicians in Masbate are now “in massive expansion of (their) armed groups” in view of the forthcoming electoral contests.

The PNP special task force is expecting heavy importation of armed men from other areas including mainland Bicol, Metro Manila, Iloilo and as far as Mindanao by politicians “because they can no longer use legitimate forces of government.”

A PNP report likewise noted that some of the armed groups in the province have the capability to use landmines or improvised explosive devices.

“Another disturbing part of the report is that even prisoners are used for criminal activities. And if they remain in Masbate, they can be used for partisan purposes in the coming election,” said Gonzales.

As stated in the report, the jails don’t even have semblance of a prison as they have no perimeter fences, and nipa huts take the place of prison cells. Masbate has two provincial jails keeping a total of some 200 prisoners.

Gonzales said the local AFP and PNP reports described a “paralysis of the criminal justice system” in Masbate, similar to what was experienced in Maguindanao, which eventually prompted the government to put the province under a state of martial law.

“They say that the law enforcement in the province is highly politicized and even the prosecution and judiciary are politicized or under extreme pressure,” said Gonzales.

Special Task Force Masbate’s efforts toward dismantling the private armed groups have resulted in the arrest of 14 armed persons and the confiscation of eight high-powered and three other firearms.