The elections in Canlaon City will proceed as scheduled.
This was announced by Lawyer Lionel Marco Castillano, Commission on Elections Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) director.
Castillano said Comelec Chairperson George Garcia has instructed them not to postpone the elections in Canlaon City despite the possibility of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) declaring Alert Level 4 in the area due to the continuous volcanic activity of Mt. Kanlaon.
Castillano said there is still time to finalize contingency measures in case the situation in Mt. Kanlaon would escalate to Alert Level 4.
“We are aware that sooner or later, this could happen so we can prepare beforehand. What we are waiting for now is the approval of the en banc to transfer voting centers and the security component,” Castillano said.
Phivolcs’ Alert Level 4 means hazardous eruption of the volcano is imminent or may happen soon and there will be frequent ash explosions and increased volume of rockfall and lava flow.
The City Government of Canlaon will implement Oplan Exodus (Exit Operations During Uncertainties Strategy) once the city is placed under Alert Level 4.
Based on the city government’s emergency plan, residents will be evacuated and transported to evacuation centers in neighboring cities and municipalities within six hours.
Kanlaon Volcano is currently under Alert Level 3, which means there is a high level of volcanic unrest that could lead to voluminous emissions of ash.
Comelec-NIR has already ensured that displaced individuals can still cast their vote on election day.
Castillano thanked the Department of Education for allowing the use of their public schools in cities and municipalities outside Canlaon City as evacuation sites for displaced residents so that it can still be used as voting centers.
Castillano is also seeking the approval of Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas to allow them to use the vehicles of the city government in transporting voters from the evacuation sites to their respective polling centers on May 12, 2025.
Meanwhile, the City Government of Guihulngan also pledged to provide a facility for the Canlaon City Board of Election Canvassers to tally and total the votes coming from different precincts.
The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 will also be deploying additional personnel to augment security during election day.
“If Alert Level 4 will be raised and Oplan Exodus will be implemented, we will still need to have police for the border checkpoints in your area. We are fortunate enough that PRO-7 has given us 200 from the Regional Mobile Force Battalion and the Provincial Mobile group in Cebu to augment the police in Negros Oriental,” Castillano said.
The Negros Oriental Provincial Joint Security Control Center, chaired by the Comelec with the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army as members, will finalize its security plan by March.
In a recent Kapihan sa PIA forum, Castillano said that once Alert Level 4 is hoisted over Mt. Kanlaon, voters in Canlaon City will be assigned to voting centers outside the city within the first district as part of the province’s contingency measures.
The first district covers the cities of Canlaon and Guihulngan and the towns of Vallehermoso, La Libertad, Jimalalud, Tayasan, Ayungon, Bindoy, and Manjuyod.
Comelec records show there are 37,690 registered voters in Canlaon City.
Castillano also encouraged teachers from Canlaon City to still serve on election day.
“I would prefer that teachers, even though they are evacuees, would still serve on election day. First, they are familiar with the people in the area. Second, I also think they need the honorarium and the service incentive leave,” he said. (PIA-7 Negros Oriental)