No poll disruption after Bulusan eruption - Comelec

Metro Manila, Philippines - There will be no postponement of the elections in Sorsogon following the eruption of Mt. Bulusan, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said on Monday, April 28.

“The readiness of Sorsogon for the conduct of the elections has not been disrupted so far by the recent activity of Mt. Bulusan. The volcanic activity was limited to ashfall,” Comelec Chairman George Garcia said in a statement.

He added that election officers in municipalities near the foot of Bulusan reported no forced evacuation or use of designated voting centers as evacuation sites. However, they have been ordered to coordinate with the Department of Education, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, and local government units to have a contingency plan in case of an escalation in volcanic activity.

In a chance interview at the Comelec main office in Intramuros, Manila, Garcia said the poll body is ready to set up makeshift, satellite voting centers if necessary - similar to measures implemented in areas affected by the restive Mt. Kanlaon on Negros Island.

“Para din pong yung gagawin natin sa Mt. Kanlaon, na kung talagang mayroon po tayong mga kababayan na madidisplace sa kanilang tirahan, na kung saan magkakaroon ng tinatawag na satellite voting centers o yung off site voting centers, gagawin din natin yan kung talagang kailanganin dito sa Bulusan,” Garcia said.

[Translation: Just like what we are doing for Mt. Kanlaon—if there are residents who will be displaced from their homes, and we need to establish satellite or off-site voting centers—we will do the same in Bulusan if the situation requires it.]

The poll chairman noted that while a volcanic eruption can be considered a force majeure or an unforeseeable circumstance that could justify a postponement, there is currently no need for such action.

“Tuloy tuloy ang eleksyon, hindi po natin ipo-postpone diyan sapagkat may panahaon pa para makapaglipat ang komisyon at mainform ang mga kababayan nain na magkakaron ng problema dahil sa pagputok ng bulkan,” he said.

[Translation: The elections will proceed as scheduled. We are not postponing them, as there is still ample time for the Commission to relocate polling places if needed and inform voters accordingly.]