The Philippine National Police ( PNP) on Sunday placed the town of Rosario, Agusan del Sur under control of the Commission on Elections ( Comelec) one day before the 2019 midterm election.

Police Brigadier General Gilbert Cruz, the Caraga regional director, said this was due to the arrest of mayoral candidate Jupiter Abulog for possessing loose firearms and ammunition in a raid Sunday morning.

Cruz said police have received reports of rampant vote buying in Rosario. He added he sent 54 cops as Rosario has only 21 policemen.

Four areas are now under Comelec control one day for the 2019 midterm elections.

First to be placed under Comelec control was Daraga,Albay and Cotabato City. Last week the town of Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental was added to the list,.

Intense political rivalry is the common reason these areas were placed under Comelec control.

Election hotspots have reached 945, with 538 areas were placed under red category (areas of grave concern), 249 in orange category (areas of immediate concern) and 154 in yellow category (areas of concern).

As of Sunday, May 12, police recorded 43 election-related incident where 20 persons were killed and 24 injured

Of the 43 incidents, shooting was recorded the highest with 29 incidents..

According to PNP, this is the lowest they have recorded.

They also arrested 5,455 gunban violators and confiscated 4,593 firearms.

For the 2016 presidential elections, there were 106 incidents with 42 victims recorded while there were 94 incidents with 40 victims in the 2013 midterm elections. Ella Dionisio/DMS