Dumaguete: The alert level of Mt. Kanlaon will determine if the automated counting machines (ACMs) for the May 12 elections will be delivered to Canlaon City, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Negros Oriental said on Thursday. In an interview, lawyer Eddie Aba, provincial election supervisor, explained that there are separate contingency plans for Canlaon City due to the current activities of Mt. Kanlaon.

According to Philippines News Agency, if the current Alert Level 3 persists until May 6, the ACMs will be delivered to polling precincts in Canlaon City. However, should there be an escalation to Alert Level 4 or an eruption before these dates, the ACMs will be redirected to pre-identified voting centers in other towns and cities outside of Canlaon City. The alternative voting centers for Canlaon City residents under an Alert Level 4 scenario are located in Vallehermoso, La Libertad, and Jimalalud.

Aba noted that in the interim, the ACMs that arrived in the capital city on Thursday afternoon will be stored at a hub for safekeeping. These machines are scheduled for delivery to the various clustered voting precincts in the province on May 6 for the Final Testing and Sealing. A cargo vessel had docked at the city port on Thursday afternoon, offloading four container vans containing the first batch of ACMs. The Comelec will conduct an inventory of the shipment to ascertain the number of ACMs delivered, as Negros Oriental requires 1,289 ACMs for the May elections, matching the total number of clustered precincts.

In related developments, two foreign observers visited Comelec officials on Wednesday afternoon. Roberts Lismanis and Luisa Lupascu met with Aba and Comelec-Negros Island Region assistant director Jossil Macute to discuss matters concerning their presence during the May elections. Aba mentioned that more than 200 observers from the European Union’s Election Observation Mission will be in the Philippines to monitor the midterm elections, hailing from EU member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, and Canada. The foreign observers emphasized their non-partisan role, stating their purpose is to observe the electoral process before, during, and after May 12.