Manila, May 13 -- The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has lauded various agencies in Eastern Visayas for the generally peaceful midterm elections, even in towns tagged as hot spots.

"We're a bit surprised that even in areas under the red category, such as Sta. Margarita, Samar was peaceful. This is a result of months of preparations and joint security meetings," Comelec Eastern Visayas assistant regional director Maria Corazon Montallana told reporters on Tuesday.

Sta. Margarita town is the only area in the region under the red category due to past election-related incidents and the presence of rebels and armed men.

There are 26 other towns identified as election areas of concern, which were placed under orange and yellow categories....