• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The additional P203,881,186 in financial assistance requested by local government units affected by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption was approved by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno disclosed on Thursday.
In a press briefing after the signing of memorandum of agreement between OCD and Commission on Elections on “Ensuring Safe Elections Through COMELEC-OCD Partnership,” in Kanlaon Volcano affected areas, at rites held at the Provincial Capitol in Bacolod City, Nepomuceno said the amount will be downloaded directly to LGUs, following the approval by President Marcos Jr. two weeks ago.
La Carlota City will receive P63,097,000 in financial aid, La Castellana – P48,521,100, Canlaon City – P29,723,350, and P62,539,736 is for the tent city in Himamaylan City.
Nepomuceno disclosed that OCD has been conducting relief operations for the affected communities for almost five months already, as he admitted that they cannot predict the occurrence of a major eruption.
He, however, assured displaced residents that the national government will continue to assist them.
The P203 million additional financial assistance for affected LGUs was taken from the P20 billion National Disaster Risk Reduction Management fund.
For the P20 billion National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund, there is still P15 billion remaining. However, as it is still in the middle of the year, Nepomuceno said that the fund is expected to decrease further with the onset of the country’s rainy season.
On the other hand, a MOA signed on Thursday by Nepomuceno and Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia, aimed at establishing a partnership for disaster risk reduction and management related to the May 12 national and local elections.
The proposed cooperation between the Comelec and the OCD includes planning emergency exits for polling precincts, potentially allowing Comelec to deputize OCD personnel to enhance safety during disasters, enabling early voting for disaster personnel, setting up incident command posts during elections, and exploring other areas of collaboration.
With less than two weeks to go before the May 12 elections, local election officials have been busy preparing alternative polling centers for the registered voters affected by the Kanlaon eruption.
In La Castellana, Bago City, La Carlota City, Pontevedra, and Murcia in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, the Comelec expects 24,362 voters to be affected under the present Alert Level 3 status of Kanlaon Volcano. That number is expected to increase to 90,277 if Alert Level 4 is declared.*
