• CHERYL G. CRUZ
There will be no failure of elections in Negros this May 12, even if Mount Kanlaon’s restiveness escalates, Comelec chairman, George Erwin Garcia, said May 1.
“Walang failure of elections kahit pumutok pa ang bulkan,” Garcia stressed at the memorandum of agreement (MOA) signing between the Commission on Elections and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) at the Capitol Social Hall in Bacolod City.
“At all cost, the Comelec and its partners must find a way na magkaroon ng halalan,” he said as he emphasized the right of suffrage of every Filipino, even those residents now in evacuation centers due to the continuing volcano restiveness.
“Ang commitment ng Comelec, kahit hindi sila ganun kadami sa isang paaralan, kinakaylangan, at all cost, sila ay makakaboto,” Garcia added.
Mt. Kanlaon is under Alert Level 3 since its explosive eruption on Dec. 9 last year.
Comelec records show that there are 16,991 registered voters in Negros Occidental affected by the current Level 3 status of Kanlaon.
Of the number, 6,871 are from Murcia, 4,279 in La Carlota, 2,349 in La Castellana, 2,102 in Bago, and 1,390 registered voters in Pontevedra.
In case of Alert Level 4, the Comelec said 75,771 registered voters in Negros Occidental will be affected, with 31,723 of them from La Castellana, 15,686 in Murcia, 14,098 in La Carlota, 11,127 in Bago, and 3,137 in Pontevedra.
In Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, 7,371 registered voters are within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone, and 14,506 in the 10-kilometer danger zone. In case Alert Level 4 is hoisted, the Comelec said 37,690 registered voters in Canlaon will be affected.
But Garcia explained that these registered voters affected by Mt. Kanlaon would still be able to vote 10 days from now since Comelec and other concerned agencies have contingency plans in place.
The MOA signed yesterday also institutionalized the partnership between Comelec and OCD on disaster risk reduction and management, and ensure safe elections amid the Kanlaon threat.
Under the MOA, the Comelec-OCD cooperation includes planning and mapping out of emergency exits and routes of clustered precincts during elections; possibility for the poll body to deputize OCD to augment disaster response and security through the involvement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enhance safety and security of the election process, especially in times of disaster or crisis situations; and the establishment of an incident command post during the elections to address potential emergencies or incidents, promoting a safe and secure electoral process; among others. | CGC
