• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Occidental has cancelled the planned allocation of P14 million to set up a permanent relocation site for Kanlaon evacuees in La Castellana, after the Mines Geosciences Bureau did not approve the location of the proposed relocation site in Barangay Manghanoy, La Castellana, which is near the town’s sanitary landfill, Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz disclosed on Wednesday.
However, the Office of the Civil Defense in Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) is considering the La Castellana barangays of Talaptap and Lalagsan as potential sites for the permanent relocation site.
The P14 million allocation was supposedly to be taken from the P50 million in financial aid extended by the Office of the President to the Negros Occidental provincial government.
Diaz said that the provincial government is still committed to help looking for funds if the relocation site is approved by the government agency concerned.
In the meantime, he said the P14 million will be used in the continuance of providing hot meals to the families displaced by the Kanlaon eruptions, who have been staying in evacuation centers for several months.
Of the P50 million, Diaz said the provincial government already utilized P31,939,054.63, with the remaining balance of P18,060,945.35 still available.
The fourth wave of the Capitol feeding program for thousands of Kanlaon evacuees, who will be served hot meals, will resume today, he added.
On the other hand, a total of 2,514 families displaced by Kanlaon Volcano, occupying different evacuation centers in La Castellana and La Carlota City in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Occidental, have availed of a 25 kilo bag of rice each, Vice President Sara Duterte disclosed on Wednesday.
Duterte, who visited the Kanlaon evacuation centers to determine the plight of displaced families, said she was told by the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) that they wanted to go home.
Alert Level 3 still prevails over Kanlaon Volcano.
While she agrees that it is not ideal for IDPs to stay longer at the evacuation centers, Duterte called on them to wait for the decision of the disaster management councils.
The Vice President also assured them of her help in supporting the community kitchens.*
