By JEN BAYLON
The Office of Civil Defense in the Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) is fully prepared for the upcoming midterm elections on Monday, May 12, amid the threat of Kanlaon Volcano.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III said yesterday they are continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure a smooth and safe voting process, especially for internally displaced persons (IDPs) temporarily housed in evacuation centers due to Kanlaon’s unrest.
“Our local disaster risk reduction and management offices are already on alert,” Sermeno said.
“We will send representatives to the regional election monitoring on election day, and we will be monitoring election activities,” he added.
Sermeno urged cooperation from all voters on Monday, particularly those affected by the eruption.
“Please continue cooperating with the authorities to ensure the voting process goes smoothly, especially since we need to manage the precincts carefully. Follow the instructions. Do not cause trouble, so the election can proceed without problems,” he said.
OCD-NIR earlier reported that 4,982 voters in seven barangays in Negros Occidental cities of La Carlota and Bago, as well as La Castellana town, who have been displaced by the volcanic eruption, will be transported to alternative polling precincts for them to cast their votes.
The planned transport of IDPs specifically covers 2,102 IDPs from Bago City’s Barangay Ilijan, 718 from La Carlota City’s Barangays Ara-al and Yubo, and 2,116 from La Castellana’s Barangays Biak na Bato, Cabagnaan, Mansalanao, Masulog, and Sag-ang.
These efforts are part of a broader government response to the eruption, which displaced more than 8,600 families — or about 28,272 people — from 34 barangays in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental following Kanlaon’s explosive eruption in May.
Contingency plans
The Comelec-NIR has readied contingency plans should there be a massive eruption of Kanlaon during the May 12 midterm elections.
“My order is safety first and evacuate all the people,” Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said in the event of a massive eruption which affects all voting centers near the volcano.
He said a contingency plan for a worst-case scenario under Alert Level 4 is now in place, which includes the security component.
Castillano said in case of a volcanic eruption, the elections could still be held within 30 days after May 12 for affected localities in Negros Occidental.
The Comelec and OCD, along with local authorities, are working to ensure that all eligible voters, including those still in evacuation centers, are able to participate in the democratic process despite ongoing recovery and rehabilitation efforts.
The poll body earlier assured displaced voters that they would still be able to cast their votes in the May 12 midterm elections.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported minor ash emissions from Kanlaon on Thursday, May 8, maintaining Alert Level 3 at the volcano.
“The ash plume rose about 300 meters and lasted only about five minutes,” Phivolcs resident volcanologist Mari Andylene Quintia said.
There were no reports of ashfall affecting any area after the emissions.
“Hopefully, it will remain calm during election time,” Quintia added. / With reports from PIA / JB, WDJ