ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Comelec: Polls proceed as scheduled in Negros Island

Comelec: Polls proceed as scheduled in Negros Island

Published May 1, 2025 02:31 pm

BACOLOD CITY – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has affirmed that the May 12 mid-term elections will proceed as scheduled across Negros Island amid the threat of Kanlaon Volcano.

NEGROS COMELEC.jpeg

COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia (third from left) and Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno (second from right) sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to strengthen disaster preparedness during the May 12 midterm elections at the Social Hall of the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City on Thursday, May 1, in the presence of (from left) Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) national coordinator Dr. Arwin Serrano, Comelec Commissioner Maria Norina Tangaro, and Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr. (Glazyl Masculino)

Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia assured that contingency measures are in place to accommodate thousands of registered voters who might be impacted by the volcano.

He emphasized the importance of preparedness and coordination with disaster response agencies.

The Comelec and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) led by Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno formalized their partnership for disaster preparedness during the elections in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed on Thursday, May 1, at the Negros Occidental Provincial Capitol here.

The signing was witnessed by Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) National Coordinator Dr. Arwin Serrano, Comelec Commissioner Maria Norina Tangaro, and Negros Occidental Provincial Legal Officer Alberto Nellas Jr.

The MOA outlines joint initiatives, including the establishment of an Incident Command Post (ICP), the mapping of emergency routes, and the possible deputation of the OCD to enhance disaster response through the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). It also includes provisions for early voting privileges for disaster personnel to ensure their availability during emergencies on Election Day.

Based on Comelec data, 16,991 registered voters in Negros Occidental are affected under Alert Level 3.

Murcia town has the highest number with 6,871, followed by La Carlota City with 4,279, La Castellana with 2,349, Bago City, with 2,102, and Pontevedra with 1,390.

In Negros Oriental, 14,506 voters from Barangays Linothangan, Panubigan, Masulog, and Pula in Canlaon City within the 10-kilometer danger zone are affected.

Should the alert level escalate to Level 4, up to 75,771 voters in Negros Occidental and 37,690 in Canlaon City could be affected.

Before the signing, Garcia visited an evacuation center in La Carlota City to inspect local contingency plans and lead voter education efforts among internally displaced persons (IDPs), including a demonstration of the Automated Counting Machine (ACM).

Garcia underscored the need for inclusive participation in the democratic process. “Walang kuwenta ang demokrasya kung may maiiwan na mamamayan na hindi makakaboto (Democracy is worthless if some citizens cannot vote)."

He reiterated that voting is key to securing a better future.

Nepomuceno expressed satisfaction with the partnership, emphasizing that it ensures democracy prevails even in times of crisis. “This is one way of ensuring democracy at its best,” he said.

Related Tags

Kanlaon Volcano 2025 elections Matalinong boto 2025 COMELEC NEGROS ISLAND
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.