A contingency plan is being prepared by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Island Region (NIR) for the 2025 midterm elections in case of Kanlaon Volcano’s eruption.
Comelec-NIR director, Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano said municipal and city election officers are directed to draft contingency plans for a possible eruption, and identify alternative voting centers.
Castillano said Comelec-NIR recently conducted assessments in some voting center-designated public schools in local government units surrounding Kanlaon, such as Negros Occidental cities of San Carlos and La Carlota, La Castellana town, as well as Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City.
Schools are also designated as evacuation sites during disasters, which could further complicate preparations for the upcoming elections.
He said they do not want a delay in the conduct of the polls in these areas, as postponement could impact election results, incur additional costs, and pose challenges for teachers serving as election officials.
“We need to prepare [contingency plans] early,” Castillano said.
Task Group Kanlaon
Meanwhile, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in NIR director Donato Sermeno III has been appointed the chair of the newly formed Task Group Kanlaon, in response to the heightened volcanic activity at Kanlaon.
According to Sermeno, the primary objective of the task group is to monitor the ongoing situation at the volcano, and coordinate disaster response efforts in case of an eruption.
The group will work closely with various government agencies to ensure a swift and efficient response during an emergency.
The Negros Occidental provincial government has provided office space at the Negros First Cyber Center, which will serve as the new headquarters for OCD-NIR.
Sermeno said that while OCD-NIR does not yet have its own budget, personnel for the regional office will initially be sourced from the OCD offices in Western Visayas and Central Visayas to ensure continued operations.
For the past months, Kanlaon has been continuously emitting elevated gas concentrations, with a current average rate of 3,579 tons per day earlier this week, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.
Its heightened unrest was marked by persistent ash emissions and elevated sulfur dioxide levels.
Alert Level 2 has been maintained over Kanlaon, signifying moderate volcanic unrest, Phivolcs said.
The agency added that elevated sulfur dioxide levels from Kanlaon are often a key indicator of magma movement beneath the surface as gas-rich magma rises closer to the vent.
Phivolcs advised residents near Kanlaon to avoid entering the four-kilometer permanent danger zone due to risks of pyroclastic density currents, ballistic projectiles and rockfalls.
They are encouraged to wear face masks as ash fall and sulfur dioxide could trigger lung diseases and could pose danger to those with comorbidities.
Those residing near rivers on Kanlaon’s slopes should remain alert for potential lahars or mudflows, particularly with the onset of heavy rainfall./ With reports from PNA, Jen Baylon / WDJ