By JEN BAYLON
Evacuees from several barangays in Negros Occidental, still unable to return home since the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano late last year, will cast their votes in alternative or makeshift polling centers for the May 12 midterm elections.
During the Provincial Joint Security Control Center meeting last week, provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) clarified that evacuees will remain in temporary shelters on election day.
As a result, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is identifying alternative polling centers near evacuation facilities.
“If these are not available, we are preparing makeshift polling centers at or near evacuation centers,” Ananoria said.
“Election officers have been instructed to notify and inform affected voters where they can vote on election day, since the OCD has indicated there is no chance evacuees can return home by then,” he added.
Ananoria cited areas affected due to the eruption are three to four barangays in La Castellana town and La Carlota City, and one or two in Bago City.
The move comes as the province continues to grapple with the aftermath of Kanlaon’s explosive eruption in December 2024, followed by another minor eruption earlier this month, which displaced thousands of residents within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone.
Comelec-Negros Island Region Director Lionel Marco Castellano confirmed that transferring voting centers is a key part of the election contingency plan, especially if Alert Level 4 is raised at Kanlaon.
“We will prepare to hold voting where the evacuation centers are so as not to burden evacuee voters,” Castellano said.
There are currently 1,763 families with 5,678 residents who have been living in evacuation centers in La Castellana, La Carlota and Bago.
Authorities say they will have to live in evacuation centers until Kanlaon’s alert level is lowered from the current Alert Level 3, or high level of volcanic unrest.
The contingency plans for the elections are reportedly 80 percent complete, with final locations for polling centers subject to approval by the Comelec en banc.
Many affected residents are still inside evacuation centers, with local governments and the OCD working to finalize contingency plans and identify permanent relocation sites.
Local government units are also under pressure to ensure classrooms and other facilities are ready ahead of the midterm polls.
In Himamaylan City, more than 1,000 family tents have been set up, and the so-called “Tent City” is being considered as a polling site for evacuees from La Castellana and other affected towns.
Provincial government officials have allocated more than P15 million for permanent evacuation sites in La Castellana and Bago, but many evacuees remain in temporary shelters as site development continues.
The OCD and local officials are working to ensure that displaced voters are not disenfranchised, despite the ongoing challenges posed by the volcanic crisis.
Comelec and disaster response teams are racing to finalize arrangements, aiming to guarantee that every eligible voter — no matter where they are sheltered — can safely and securely cast their ballots./JB, WDJ