By JEN BAYLON
The Commission on Elections in Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) will implement some adjustments in contingency plans if Kanlaon Volcano is placed under Alert Level 4.
Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said some changes need to be adopted, and the established contingency plan will be followed during the electoral process in the midterm elections on May 12.
During a meeting with the provincial election supervisors in NIR, Castillano said poll preparations have been in place for local government units near Kanlaon.
Under Alert Level 4, voting centers could potentially be transferred to six localities in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
Castillano ordered local election officers to obtain certification from school principals stating that their schools could be used as polling venues.
They are also directed to identify alternative voting centers outside Kanlaon’s six-kilometer danger zone, in coordination with the local disaster risk reduction and management councils.
The offices of election personnel may be moved outside the danger zone.
Comelec-NIR is exploring alternative options, such as clustered voting centers at evacuation sites, to ensure displaced individuals can exercise their right to vote.
The regional poll body earlier said they will not postpone the conduct of the midterm elections this year in local government units affected by Kanlaon’s continuing unrest.
“We want to ensure that the elections can continue without interruption, even in the face of natural disasters,” Castillano 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.
“The Comelec chairman has approved the idea of transferring voting machines to evacuation centers where evacuees are located,” he said.
He admitted that the ongoing unrest is difficult for both their Comelec personnel and the voter-evacuees.
The Comelec-NIR also visited several local government units in Negros to assess their readiness and ensure effective communication for the polls.
Local government units in NIR affected by Kanlaon’s December 9, 2024 eruption include La Castellana town and the cities of La Carlota and Bago in Negros Occidental, as well as Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
Several schools previously designated as voting centers are now housing evacuees following the evacuation of thousands of residents from the six-kilometer permanent danger zone.
The latest data showed there are 4,511 evacuees in La Castellana, 1,213 in La Carlota and 76 in Bago.
The Negros Occidental Provincial Joint Security Control Center was mandated to prepare the contingency plan for the midterm elections in coordination with the local disaster offices of the affected local government units.
“It is the local disaster office that knows the situation on the ground,” Castillano said./JB, WDJ