CEBU CITY – The Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (Centcom) Tuesday said that 114 areas in the Visayas are closely monitored as part of the preparations for the May 2010 elections.

Of the 114 areas, 39 were identified as election hotspots due to their history of election-related violence and intense political rivalry while 35 others were considered insurgency hotspots because of the influence of the New People’s Army, said Centcom chief Lt. Gen. Ralph Villanueva.

Villanueva said the AFP has been monitoring the 114 areas to ensure clean and honest elections and to warn the public against the presence of parties and candidates being backed by insurgent groups.

He said the military was able to reduce the number of guerilla fronts in the Visayas from 21 to eight. He added that from 630 barangays affected by insurgencies, the number went down to 17.

So far, the police have recorded 419 persons arrested for violating the gun ban with 366 firearms confiscated and 146 cases filed against the violators.

In a joint conference at the headquarters of the Central Command at the Camp Lapu-Lapu, officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police promised to reduce insurgency in the Visayas as part of the preparations for the May 2010 elections.

Villanueva said security forces are updating the Internal Security Operation (ISO) campaign which started on 2006.

Police Regional Office-7 director, Chief Supt. Lani-o R. Nerez, they continue assessing the ISO in all parts of the Visayas.

“It is going on softly. We are slowly but surely degrading the influence of rebels. We have trained members of the organization which are assigned on those places,” he said.

Nerez said that the main focus of the police is Negros Island and the police play a role in support to the success of the ISO campaign of AFP.

Meanwhile, the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) has recommended to the Commission on Elections (Comelect) to place 11 towns and two cities in the province in the watchlist due to the intense political rivalry in these areas.

In a meeting with local Comelec officials, CPPO Director Erson Digal urged the inclusion of 11 towns and two cities in the watchlist, including the towns of Ronda, Dumanjug, Alegria, San Fernando, Dalaguete and Naga City in southern Cebu, and the towns of Tabuelan, Tuburan, Tudela on Camotes Island, Daanbantayan, Carmen, Madredejos and Bogo City in northern Cebu.

Digal said election history and intense political rival were noted in these towns.