The 303rd Infantry Battalion (303IB) of the Philippine Army is formulating a contingency plan to utilize soldiers in case Kanlaon Volcano erupts during the May 12 midterm elections.
Brigadier General Ted Dumosmog, 303IB commanding general, said on Thursday, February 13, that 1,045 303IB soldiers and Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) officers will be mobilized to secure the midterm polls in Negros Occidental.
There will be disruption, especially with the expected transfer of polling precincts outside Kanlaon’s expanded six-kilometer danger zone in case the volcano erupts, Dumosmog said.
Currently, the 303IB has 45 officers, 800 enlisted personnel and 200 Cafgu officers distributed among its three battalions.
Dumosmog hopes that Kanlaon will have no major eruption, as it will affect about 75,000 individuals in Negros Occidental cities of Bago and La Carlota, as well as La Castellana town, with massive evacuations and residents staying in temporary housing in tent cities.
He noted that they have sufficient personnel to respond should Kanlaon Volcano erupt again.
“Of course, we need the help of the local government units and other sectors, especially the Office of Civil Defense, with regard to the evaluation of our affected communities,” Dumosmog said.
“As of now, we have 29 evacuation centers, comprising around 24,000 individuals and around 7,500 families. In a major eruption, it would entail about 75,000 individuals,” he said.
Dumosmog assured that the 303IB would commit to securing a peaceful election.
“We will continue to protect. We will continue to track down all those who would disrupt this coming election,” he said.
Dumosmog acknowledged that there might be threats from remnants of the New People’s Army, but he dismissed it as insignificant.
Earlier, the Comelec in Negros Island Region (NIR) announced that it will implement some adjustments in contingency plans if Kanlaon 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 May 12 midterm elections.
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./WDJ