• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Commission on Elections assured that the elections will push through in Kanlaon-affected areas on May 12, unless the volcano erupts on that very day, on Friday disclosed Atty. Jossil Macute, Comelec assistant regional director for Negros Island Region.
However, if Kanlaon Volcano erupts on election day, Macute said the election could be possibly postponed to give way to the evacuation of more people, as the permanent danger zone is further expanded.
In that case, it will not be humanly possible to conduct elections on the same day, he stressed.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported that Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon Volcano, as it recorded another ash emission event that lasted five minutes on Thursday.
We are more concerned with environmental and natural calamities, rather than man made problems that would arise during the election day, said Macute, who attended a briefing at the Regional Election Monitoring Action Center (REMAC) on May 9 at Camp Alfredo Montelibano Sr. in Bacolod City.
The Office of Civil Defense is all set for the elections in local government units affected by the recent Kanlaon eruption.
Donato Sermeno, OCD regional director for Negros Island Region, said they are now on red alert status, as they continue monitoring the activity of Kanlaon Volcano.
At the REMAC briefing, Maj. Gen. Michael Samson, Army’s 3rd Infantry Division commander, and PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay, Police Regional Office NIR officer in charge, said their respective contingency plans are now in place, including election related duties and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations.
The moment Kanlaon Volcano erupts, our primordial duty is to save lives. Elections will come in later, Ibay said.
In case of another Kanlaon eruption, Samson said he will get augmentation forces from 3ID in Panay to add more troops in Negros for HADR operations, if necessary.
A potential eruption of the Kanlaon Volcano could displace up to 100,000 people, according to the OCD.
Brig. Gen. Ted Dumosmog, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, has declared that remnants of the New People’s Army are no longer capable of influencing the outcome of elections, as they were able to clear all the insurgency-affected barangays in Negros Occidental.
Dumosmog said they have not received reports, or complaints, of candidates being victimized by rebel extortion activities.
Samson, who supervises three Army infantry brigades in Regions 6 and 7, as well as Negros Island Region, said they have conducted military operations against rebel remnants at the start of 2025, which led to series of encounters and neutralization of several rebels, before they shifted to election duties.
Stressing that the Philippine Army is multi-mission ready, whether in the campaign against rebel remnants, HADR operations for Kanlaon, and election duties, Samson said they are capable of accomplishing such tasks and “we are ready for it.”*
