MANILA-- The Philippine National Police has initially identified yesterday at least 613 cities and municipalities as "hotspots" or potential source of violence in the coming senatorial and local elections in May.

The figure may be trimmed down or increased when the PNP, which is the primary agency tasked to secure the elections, holds a formal meeting with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) today.

According to data gathered from the PNP national headquarters in Camp Crame, 49 of the hotspots are classified "election areas of immediate concerns" while the rest are considered "election areas of concern."

Five of the "election areas of immediate concerns" are in Region 1; three are in Region 2; three are in the Cordillera Administrative Region; two are in Region 3; four in the CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon);

Four in MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan); eight in Region 5; one in Region 6; two in Region 7; four in Region 8; four in Region 9; one in Region 10; two in Region 11; one in Region 12; two in Region 13; and three in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The "election areas of concern" includes 36 in Region 1; 38 in Region 2; 31 in CAR (Cordillera Administrative Region); 47 in Region 3; 45 in the CALABARZON area; 14 in the MIMAROPA; 51 in Region 5; 31 in Region 6; 27 in Region 7; 39 in Region 8; 32 in Region 9; 31 in Region 10; 25 in Region 11; 37 in Region 12; 26 in Region 13; and 54 in ARMM.

Cities and towns are classified as "election areas of immediate concern" if they meet a number of parameters, including if 50 percent of their barangays are infested by communist rebels and partisan armed groups.

The other parameters include the occurrence of election-related violent incidents; the existence of intense partisan political rivalry in at least 70 percent of the total towns and cities; and the occurrence of incidents that can disrupt the electoral proceedings or create political tension that could upset the process in the immediate area and surrounding areas.

Cities and towns are classified as "election areas of concern" if two of the parameters mentioned are present.

George Manaois, executive assistant to the Comelec chairman of the committee on firearms and security personnel, said they intend to discuss the election hotpots during the meeting in Camp Crame.

The meeting would be attended by representatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, whose role in the elections had been already limited based on a Memorandum of Agreement signed by the Department of National Defense with the Comelec last year.

Military personnel would be tapped to secure the election in areas where there are "serious armed threats." The MOA refrains the soldiers transporting ballots, the counting of election results in military camps, and soldiers from acting as bodyguards to candidates, among others, to insulate them from politics.

PNP deputy chief for operations Deputy Director General Antonio Billiones said the final number of election hotspots may be available when the candidates have already filed their candidacies before the Comelec.

"We can only finalize the records if all local candidates will have filed (their candidacy) because we don't know who the candidates are," said Billiones, who is the concurrent chief of the PNP's Task Force HOPE (Honest, Orderly and Peaceful Elections.)

"That's a factor, who will be the candidate in a municipality. We will only know the situation in a municipality if we know who the candidates are," said Billiones, adding that the deployment of police personnel will "be dictated by the existing situation."