Election to push through in Kanlaon-affected areas

Individuals from Kanlaon Volcano eruption- affected areas will be able to vote in the coming May election as contingency plans are on the drawing board in case the restlessness of the volcano intensifies.

Atty. Lionel Marco Castillano, regional director of Elections (COMELEC) said on Monday that they will not postpone the elections as it will affect the proclamation of national candidates and the partylist.

Castillano also said that the focus of COMELEC chairperson George Erwin Garcia is to push through with the elections in May as scheduled.

“We are preparing the contingency plan in case the alert status of the volcano is elevated,” he said.

Castillano added that the poll body wants the voters to still vote even if Kanlaon volcano erupts.

We don’t want a delay in the proclamation of the National Board of Canvassers for the national candidates, he also added.

He admitted that the situation is difficult and hard for both their personnel and the voter-evacuees.

However, Castillano said that “it is just a matter of determining where they will vote on election day.”

“The Chairman approved the idea of transferring the voting centers where the evacuees are,” he also said.

Castillano also said that the Provincial Joint Security Control Center (PJSCC) is mandated to prepare the contingency plan in coordination with the local disaster office of the affected local government units.

“It is the local disaster office who knows the situation on the ground,” he said, adding that the coordination is aimed at allowing the LGUs the plans of the COMELEC.

“In the first place it is also their concern as they are also their voters,” he said.

As of January 6, 2025, the Office of Civil Defense reported that there are a total of 12,223 families, totaling 46,781 individuals, have been affected across Regions VI and VII.

Currently, 4,128 families (13,454 persons) are sheltered in 34 evacuation centers, while an additional 2,351 families (7,458 persons) have sought refuge outside these centers.

Notably, there has been a slight increase in the number of displaced individuals in evacuation centers since January 5, the agency said.* (EYA)