• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections is also preparing contingency measures for the May 2025 midterm elections, due to the possible eruption of Kanlaon volcano.
Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, Comelec regional director for Negros Island Region, who presided over the Provincial Joint Security Coordinating Center meeting on Wednesday at Camp Alfredo Montelibano in Bacolod City, said he ordered Provincial Comelec Supervisor Atty. Ian Ananoria and Election Officers to identify alternative voting centers, in coordination with the local disaster risk reduction management councils.
Alert Level 2 still prevails over Kanlaon volcano, after its phreatic eruption on June 3. Over the past several weeks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) has reported steam and ash emissions from Mt. Kanlaon, while the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has issued daily ash fall warnings to residents in affected areas.
Castillano admitted that they will be facing problems with regard to the conduct of elections in affected areas, should there be a massive eruption of Kanlaon.
If Alert Level 3 is declared, there will be a partial evacuation of residents, which will also be followed by the transfer of voting centers, he added.
Should it be elevated Alert Level 4, it will be a total evacuation, and may lead to the delay in the holding of elections in those areas, Castillano further said.
Castillano visited the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, and met with local chief executives and PHIVOLCS personnel, to assess the ongoing situation in those areas.
“We need to prepare this early as we do not want a postponement of elections in these areas,” Castillano said, explaining that delays would incur additional costs, pose challenges for teachers serving as election officials, and could impact national election results.
He also noted that many schools used as voting centers are designated evacuation sites during natural disasters, which could further complicate election preparations.
As to security preparations, Castillano said he sees no problems as of this time, as they have not received reports of the existence of private armed groups, or intense political rivalries, based on reports of the Philippine National Police.*
