The Commission on Elections will make sure that Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Negros affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption can vote in the May polls, Provincial Elections Supervisor Ian Lee Ananoria said on Friday, Jan. 3.
A worst-case scenario would be the holding of special elections for affected residents, he said.
Thousands of residents in La Castellana, La Carlota City and Bago City evacuated from the Kanlaon Volcano 6-kilometer danger after its Dec. 9 eruption and are now staying in evacuation centers.
“We will be conducting the elections where the people are”, Ananoria said.
Contingency plans are being readied for residents of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Bago and La Carlota in Negros Occidental and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental who could be affected by Kanlaon’s unrest during the May polls, he said.
Ananoria said they have to find alternative voting centers if schools are still being used as evacuation centers.
The Negros Occidental Provincial Joint Security Control Center will hold a meeting on Jan. 11 where the contingency plans of the election officers will be discussed.
Ananoria said there are no election areas of concern due to intense political rivalry and no reports of the presence of armed men linked to politicians in Negros Occidental so far, the province remains a “green area”.*