The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has identified alternative voting centers for the May 12 midterm elections in areas affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental.

In a press conference yesterday, Provincial Election Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said he had inspected alternative voting centers in some areas of La Castellana and La Carlota City on April 23.

According to the poll body, the 718 registered voters from Ara-al and Yubo in La Carlota City will remain at their respective polling centers in Ara-al Elementary School and Yubo Elementary School.

In case of ashfall, they will cast their votes at Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School senior high school buildings.

Meanwhile, the La Carlota SPED Integrated School will be used as temporary voting center of displaced voters of Barangay 1; while those in Barangay Cubay will vote at the Cubay Elementary School.

Based on the contingency plan under the current Alert Level 3, with a six-kilometer extended danger zone, there are 12,479 affected registered voters in nine barangays, who have been assigned to vote in alternative voting centers.

In Pontevedra, 725 voters of Barangay Gomez will vote at Antipolo National High School, while 665 others from Barangay Zamora will vote at Antipolo Elementary School.

Some 2,102 voters in Barangay Ilijan, Bago City will cast their votes at Ramon Torres Louisiana National High School in Barangay Ma-ao.

In La Castellana, 219 voters in Barangay Biak na Bato will vote at Biak na Bato Elementary School; 1,200 voters in Barangay Cabagna-an at La Castellana National High School; 273 voters in Mansalanao at Mansalanao Elementary School; 332 voters in Barangay Masulog at Masulog Elementary School; and 92 voters in Barangay Sag-ang at Sag-ang Elementary School.

Data further showed that in Barangay Minoyan, some 6,871 registered voters have been assigned to vote at Murcia National High School.

Should Mt. Kanlaon’s status escalated to Alert Level 4, where the extended 10-kilometer danger zone will be enforced, some 80,683 registered voters in 27 barangays in the cities of Bago, La Carlota, San Carlos, as well as the municipalities of La Castellana, Murcia and Pontevedra, will be affected, according to the Comelec data. (PNA)