Kanlaon Volcano Displaces 12,000 Voters Ahead of May Polls

By Glazyl M. Jopson

BACOLOD CITY — With less than two weeks before the May 12 midterm elections, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Occidental has established alternative polling centers for 12,479 voters from nine barangays potentially affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s continued unrest under Alert Level 3.

The affected voters include 2,102 from Barangay Ilijan in Bago City; 718 from Barangays Ara-al and Yubo in La Carlota City; 1,390 from Barangays Gomez and Zamora in Pontevedra town; 2,116 from five barangays in La Castellana; and 6,871 from Barangay Minoyan in Murcia town.

Due to mandatory evacuations, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said residents from high-risk areas will not be able to return home to vote, prompting the need for alternative arrangements.

Proposed substitute polling centers include Ramon Torres Louisiana National High School in Bago City; Antipolo Elementary and National High Schools in Pontevedra; and Murcia National High School in Murcia town.

In La Castellana, local schools will serve as voting sites. In La Carlota City, original polling centers will remain unless ashfall conditions worsen. Backup sites in the city include Doña Hortencia Salas Benedicto National High School, La Carlota SPED Integrated School, and Cubay Elementary School.

Provincial election supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria emphasized that special elections are not ideal, even with the volcano’s threat, as they could delay national-level proclamations.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) continues to monitor Kanlaon under Alert Level 3 and has enforced a six-kilometer permanent danger zone.

If the alert level rises to 4, Comelec warns that more than 80,000 voters from 27 barangays, including areas in San Carlos City, may need to relocate to one of 22 identified alternate polling sites.