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Commission on Elections Chairman Jose Melo lauded on Thursday the government's order for Moro Islamic Liberation Front elements to leave areas in North Cotabato that they allegedly forcibly occupied within 24 hours or else be forcibly ejected by government security forces.

That is the way government should react. We should not let lawless elements to occupy and terrorize residents. That is welcome news for me, said the COMELEC chief who is in the thick of preparations for elections in Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao set on August 11.

Melo said however that COMELEC field personnel are fearful of a possible spillover of violence to ARMM areas that would eventually affect the upcoming elections.

There may be some action because this is the border. The MILF may retreat or go to Maguindanao but at most, three or four towns may be affected if at all, said the poll body chief.

Melo said the elections will push through as scheduled and trusts the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police to ensure peace and order in ARMM.

Melo said he expects voters turnout to be not very very high because the race in the regional polls is not intense. But this is not reason for people to go out and vote, also to test the computers.

COMELEC spokesperson James Jimenez meanwhile noted that there is a namumuong climate of fear and may depress the turnout a little. He said however that turnout is not a big issue for the poll body.

Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer meantime, who is also the poll bodys commissioner-in-charge for Basilan, said he is optimistic there will be no spillover of violence in Basilan. Ferrer added there has been no sighting of the bandit group Abu Sayyaf in Basilan.

Three battalions to NCotabato
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno announced Thursday that three battalions of policemen will be deployed to North Cotabato to clear at least nine villages of suspected MILF members and armed civilian volunteer organizations ,.

Puno said he ordered Director General Avelino Razon Jr., PNP chief, to immediately order the deployment and investigation of the reported atrocities committed by the alleged rebels and CVOs in the North Cotabato villages.

There are other reports that there are CVOs that are particularly in the municipality of Aleosan moving around openly with arms, Puno said, adding that local executives in North Cotabato should be reminded that CVOs are not allowed to carry firearms.

Puno also announced that nine villages in three towns of North Cotabato have been forcibly occupied by member of the MILF's 105th Base Command under a certain Commander Umbrajado.

He said that after a National Security Council meeting on Wednesday night, chief peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. was ordered to tell his counterparts in the MILF to control Umbrajado's men.

He said if the MILF fails to remove the rebels in the villages, a joint task group of the police and the military will use force to push out the rebels.

Puno said that among the areas being occupied by the MILF rebels were the villages of Bago Libas, Dualing and Pagangan in Aleosan town; Cagpangi and Gumaga villages in Libungan town; and the villages of Central Labas, Upper Labas, Rangaban, and Baliki in Midsayap.

He said there are also some areas forcibly occupied by rebels in Pigkawayan and Northern Kabuntalan towns.

The interior secretary said the rebels have been attacking Christian residents since July 1. Among the atrocities committed by the rebels were burning of houses, destruction of plantations, looting of properties and cattle rustling, he said.

MILF: No such thing
A spokesman of the MILF denied Thursday that the armed group is forcibly or illegally occupying lands in nine villages in five towns of North Cotabato.

Eid Kabalu, a spokesman of the MILF, told ANC's Dateline Philippines that the MILF is not occupying other people's properties in North Cotabato as alleged by reports sent to the government.

There is no such thing, he said.

Kabalu admitted that there were around 1,500 families displaced in North Cotabato, but said this was due to armed conflict with paramilitary forces or CVOs under the control of local officials.

He said skirmishes between the MILF and CVOs, particularly in Aleosan, North Cotabato, started as early as July 1, and not after the Supreme Court stopped Monday the scheduled signing the following day of the ancestral domain agreement between government peace negotiators and the MILF.

He also denied the MILF burned houses and engaged in looting in some villages in North Cotabato.

Elections gun ban coverage expanded
COMELEC meanwhile expanded on Thursday the coverage of the gun ban in relation to the ARMM elections.

Ferrer said that the coverage of the prohibition on carrying of firearms without COMELEC authorization now includes Cotabato City, Isabela City in Basilan and a third area.

Ferrer said the poll body saw the need to expand the coverage since the areas are right across the ARMM and violators of the gun ban may run across these areas.

Ferrer noted that civilian volunteer organizations who did not apply for exemption are covered by the gun ban.

But so far, there have been no complaints yet and we leave it to the AFP and PNP to enforce the gun ban. Ferrer said adding that COMELEC may find later the need to further expand the coverage of the gun ban and make the necessary amendments in the resolution in view of the tension in North Cotabato. With reports from Willard Cheng, ABS-CBN News