Poll transmission devices in Negros secured amid Kanlaon eruption
SAFEKEEPING. Military and police personnel stand guard as transmission devices to be used in the May 12 elections are being delivered in Negros Island on Monday (April 7, 2025). The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region has ordered the transfer of transmission devices from Canlaon City, Negros Oriental to San Carlos City, Negros Occidental following the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on Tuesday (April 8). (Photo courtesy of Comelec-NIR)
DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines — The Commission on Elections in the Negros Island Region (Comelec-NIR) has secured the transmission devices to be used in the May 12 midterm elections following Tuesday’s eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
In an interview, Comelec-NIR director Lionel Marco Castillano said these transmission devices play a critical role in the conduct of the elections.
“These transmission devices will connect real-time the voting results from the automated counting machines to the servers, particularly in areas without signal,” Castillano said.
The first batch of transmission devices for the Negros provinces arrived on Monday and these items will soon be delivered to far-flung villages.
Castillano said the provider’s truck carrying the transmission devices for Negros Occidental was at the Canlaon City Police Station preparing for the delivery of the equipment to the other side of the island.
The Comelec-NIR chief ordered the truck driver to transfer to the police station in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental until it is safe to deliver the devices to their intended destinations.
A second truck with the transmission devices for Negros Oriental, meanwhile, is parked at the Guihulngan City Police Station.
Military and police personnel are providing security to the two trucks, Castillano said.
The Comelec official said, based on reports from election officers in the vicinity of Mt. Kanlaon, no voting centers have been affected by the volcano’s eruption.
Castillano said the Comelec is prepared for a worst-case scenario in the event that the current volcanic activity escalates into an Alert Level 4 status.
He also said he has submitted a Mt. Kanlaon contingency plan for the coming elections to the Office of the Executive Director.
Once approved, the plan will be forwarded to the Comelec en banc in Manila.
The contingency plan was made in coordination with the local government units and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices under the supervision of the Office of Civil Defense.
