Comelec: Safety first in case of massive Kanlaon eruption

A view of the Mt. Kanlaon volcano in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental. (PIA Negros Oriental)

DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental (PIA) — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Island Region (NIR) has readied contingency plans should there be a massive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon during the May 12, 2025 national and local elections.

“My order is safety first and evacuate all the people,” said Comelec NIR regional director Lionel Marco Castillano in the event of a massive eruption under Alert Level 4 that affects all the voting places nearby the volcano. 

Castillano said that elections could still be done within 30 days after May 12 for affected areas in Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental should there be a volcanic eruption. 

He said a contingency plan for a worst case scenario under Alert Level 4 is now in place, which includes the security component.

A memorandum of agreement was also signed between the Office of Civil Defence (OCD) and Comelec NIR to ensure the safe conduct of the elections in local government units (LGUs)  affected by the eruption. 

Based on the agreement, both agencies will focus on the planning and mapping out of emergency exits and routes of clustered precincts during elections involving disaster response teams for safety and security.

There are a total of 7,371 registered voters within the six-kilometer extended danger zone around Kanlaon, while up to 14,506 registered voters are within the 10-kilometer extended danger zone. 

Some 37,690 registered voters in Negros Oriental and up to 75,771 registered voters in Negros Occidental will be affected in the event Mt. Kanlaon erupts.

With this, Castillano said that if Alert Level 4 is declared during election day, there will be no proclamation of winners at the national level – from senators to partylist lineup, including governor, vice governor, congressman, board members, mayors, and councilors of the affected LGUs.

“The results of the elections will affect those candidates and cannot be proclaimed,” said Castillano. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental)

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