MANILA - The Commission on Elections dismissed Wednesday calls to classify the city of Manila as an election hotspot.

Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes said no area in Metro Manila has ever been declared a hotspot. He said the official campaign period for local elections has not even begun.

Brillantes said the call may be too much.

"Paano naman magkakaroon ng hotspot, di pa nag-uumpisa kampanya? Dito sa Maynila sila ang gagawa ng hotspot. Pinalalaki naman masyado ang maliit na bagay. Wala pa kami involvement, bingo lang yan eh, masyado na dramatize," he said.

Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno earlier said he will meet with party-mates today to formalize a request to put Manila under Comelec control.

Moreno said the incident last Saturday where they were allegedly harassed by police was not the first and only incident that they've experienced harassment. He said a similar incident occurred simultaneously in District 3 in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

The vice-mayor and 5 Manila councilors were arrested last Saturday for allegedly operating an illegal bingo game.

Moreno slammed Mayor Alfredo Lim for his failure to improve the peace and order situation in Manila.

Asked what happens when a place is declared a hotspot, Brillantes joked: "Iinit ang panahon. Magkakagulo tayo pare-pareho."

Brillantes explained that areas declared as hotspots usually mean increased police deployment.

"Dadamihan natin police, dadamihan military. Kung kaaway niya pulis, at dadamihan, lalo siya tumagilid. Statements like these are more of dramatizations. Wag naman nila palakihin maliit na bagay lang bingo."

Umbrellas for Team PNoy

Meanwhile, Brillantes said he sees nothing wrong with members of the Regional Safety Battalion holding umbrellas for candidates of the administration party in Cebu.

"Ewan ko. Di ko alam eh kung umuulan, dapat payungan. Pati ba naman yun malaking issue? Kung mainit panahon, dapat magpayong rin baka maarawan eh," he said. With a report from Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News