WV under ‘red alert’ for midterm elections

Western Visayas has been placed under red alert by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for the May 12 elections.

A red alert, according to the NDRRMC, is the “highest level of alert  to address ongoing or anticipated emergencies.”

Under this level, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), and other relevant agencies are mandated to deploy detailed duty officers to the NDRRM Operations Center for 24-hour rotational duty.

Western Visayas or Region VI is composed of Iloilo City and the provinces of Iloilo, Aklan, Guimaras, Capiz and Antique.

The region has more than three million registered voters. Iloilo province, including Iloilo City, accounted for the highest number at 1.6 million, followed by Capiz  (539,553), Aklan (414,890), Antique (399,553), and Guimaras (124,930).

The NDRRMC also raised the red alert status over the Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Visayas.IMT