Cordoning the audience off (question for the Vismin audience)

In Dumaguete, Apo Island, and Siquijor, we were lucky to witness several mall singing contests and one Baranggay pageant. Why is it you're cordoning off a huge space between the audience and the judges? Even if there's no actual boundary, the audience just seems to stand back so far from the stage automatically. For sure this affects your enjoyment, but is this just for pure courtesy?

Is this because most of the time the judges in the provinces are politicians who are afraid to be assassinated with a bolo?