OCD bars displaced Mount Kanlaon evacuees from returning home to vote

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will not allow people displaced by Mount Kanlaon's eruption to return home for voting on May 12.

Displaced voters are advised to cast their ballots at evacuation centers or alternative polling precincts near these centers, according to Ian Lee Ananoria, the Negros Occidental election supervisor.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will not conduct special elections in affected areas and has set up alternative polling places for displaced individuals, with preparations underway for more than 80,000 voters if the alert level is raised to 4.

Schools serving as evacuation centers will not be used as polling stations, but nearby alternative sites may be established.

La Carlota Mayor Rex Jalando-on has banned mass gatherings in public areas to reduce community vulnerability and facilitate emergency response operations.