(PNA file photo) MANILA-Eight areas in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur on Tuesday were placed under the control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec). In a statement, Comelec Chairman Saidamen Pangarungan said six municipalities in Maguindanao, and one city and one municipality in Lanao del Sur are now under their control. The areas are the towns of Buluan, Datu Odin Sinsuat, Datu Piang, Mangudadatu, Pandag and Sultan Kudarat in the Province of Maguindanao. Also, the City of Marawi City and the town of Maguing both in Lanao del Sur, were declared under Comelec control in addition to Tubaran and Malabang towns. The places were placed under Comelec control upon the joint recommendation of the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines and Regional Election Director Ray Sumalipao, the Committee on the Ban on Firearms and Security Concerns (CBFSC). Under Comelec Resolution No. 10757, an area can be put under Comelec control in the following circumstances: 1. History of
Comelec chairperson Saidamen Pangarungan (File photo) MANILA - The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is looking to allow its chief Saidamen Pangarungan to classify areas under "Comelec control" to fast-track its preparations just over a month before the May 9 polls. Commissioner George Erwin Garcia, in a Laging Handa briefing Monday, said the matter will be tackled by the Comelec en banc. He added that if Pangarungan is given the authority to decide on the matter, it will hasten the process by doing away with the prerequisite of a Comelec en banc resolution. Currently, only the poll body en banc has the authority to place certain areas in the country under Comelec control. "If we wait for the weekly Comelec en banc meeting, there may be delays in the necessary actions to prevent violence or the heightening of tension in the concerned area," Garcia said. Under Comelec Resolution No. 10757, any political division, subdivision, unit, or area may be placed under Comelec