Escalating violence in connection with the upcoming 2010 polls has prompted Commission on Elections officials in Nueva Ecija to seek police protection.

Comelec officials noted that parts of Nueva Ecija have been declared "hotspots" in previous elections due to the number of poll-related violent incidents in the province.

Last Wednesday a grenade was thrown outside the house of municipal election officer Pacifico Gijapo in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija. Gijapon, 62, was watching television with his wife and children in his house in Barangay Sinipit when an unidentified motorcycle-riding man stopped in front of his house and tossed the hand grenade, which exploded and destroyed its wall and shattered the windows.

While no one was hurt in the attack, the poll official said the incident could be related to the start of the official filing of the certificates of candidacy in the province.

In another incident, suspects strafed with .45 caliber pistols the houses of Andy Canati, barangay chairman of San Roque, the president of the Association of Barangay Captains in Bongabon and Antonio Alejo, barangay chairman of Barangay Palomaria last October 26.

Finally, Comelec-Gapan Officer Belen de Vera criticized the harassment of his staff by Romeo Natividad, brother of Gapan Mayor Ernesto Natividad. Natividad, however, denied the incident.

Senior Superintendent Ricardo Marquez, Nueva Ecija police provincial director, said he will increase police visibility in various Nueva Ecija towns to ensure security. He added that the Comelec should also be fair to ensure the peace among rival parties.  With a report from Zyann Ambrosio, ABS-CBN News