The Commission on Elections in Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) has been preparing contingency plans to ensure that there is no failure of elections should Alert Level 4 be raised over Kanlaon Volcano amid its restiveness.
“Our strategy is to conduct the elections where the evacuees are,” Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said during the launch of the NIR Regional Joint Security Control Center (RJSCC-NIR).
Castillano said he directed the RJSCC to come up with their proposed contingency plans during their meeting next month to be submitted to the Comelec national office, as the transfer of precincts may require additional funding.
Their election security plan will include determining the number of troops for deployment during the May 12 polls.
Castillano said if evacuees from La Castellana are evacuated to Himamaylan City, voting precincts will be brought to them during the midterm elections.
The transfer of the precincts needs a Comelec en banc resolution, he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense-NIR, said there were initial recommendations for the security classification of some localities in the NIR, which are still fluid as their main concern was the potential Kanlaon eruption.
Earlier, Castillano said they would not postpone the conduct of the midterm elections this year in local government units affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s continuing unrest.
“We want to ensure that the elections can continue without interruption, even in the face of natural disasters,” he said.
Residents and evacuees from eruption-affected areas will be able to vote in the May 12 elections, Castillano said, as contingency plans are set in case Kanlaon’s restlessness intensifies.
“The Comelec chairman has approved the idea of transferring voting machines to evacuation centers where evacuees are located,” Castillano said in an interview, emphasizing the need for preparedness to avoid postponements in the elections.
“We don’t want a delay in the proclamation of the National Board of Canvassers for the national candidates,” he added.
He admitted that the ongoing unrest is difficult for both their Comelec personnel and the voter-evacuees.
Ian Lee Ananoria, Negros Occidental provincial election supervisor, underscored the critical need for developing contingency plans to address emergencies, such as Kanlaon’s eruption, during the polls.
“We need to ensure that, regardless of any unforeseen events, the proclamation of winners for national positions, including party-list representatives and senators, will not be delayed,” he said.
Ananoria reiterated instructions from Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia, emphasizing that evacuation protocols must be in place to facilitate a smooth transition in case of an emergency./WDJ