• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Bago City in Negros Occidental, which is among the local government units affected by the eruption of Kanlaon volcano on December 9, yesterday declared a state of calamity in order to utilize its P18 million Quick Response Fund, aimed at helping affected residents.
In a press briefing, Mayor Nicholas Yulo reported that all the 24 barangays of Bago City were affected by the ash fall, with 113 families, consisting of 366 individuals, now staying in four evacuation centers.
He identified the worst affected barangays as Ilijan, Mailum, Binubuhan, and Ma-ao.
The declaration of a state calamity, as endorsed by the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC), which was approved by the Bago City Council during its special session on Monday, as requested by Mayor Yulo, aimed at expediting relief operations, mobilizing resources, and enhancing coordination among government agencies and stakeholders to address the needs of affected communities.
The CDRRMC resolution emphasized the importance of the state of calamity declaration to mobilize resources, streamline relief operations, and enhance coordination among agencies..
Concurred by the Bago Sangguniang Panlungsod, the resolution also imposes a price freeze on basic goods to prevent predatory pricing and hoarding.
Yulo disclosed on Monday that the Bago City government QRF, estimated at P18 million, may only last until January next year.
Amid assurances of help from the national government, the local government of Canlaon City in Negros Oriental has sounded the alarm over the depletion of its QRF.
A total of 1,619 families, comprising 5,229 individuals, have been accommodated in evacuation camps in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, according to a statement issued by the city government.
That prompted the Canlaon City government to seek financial aid from the national government, as its Quick Response Fund (QRF) nears depletion, having been reduced from P11 million to P4.7 million, as of Dec. 15, following its utilization starting the Dec. 9 eruption.
“With the influx of residents forcibly evacuated from the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone of Mt. Kanlaon, comprising five barangays, the LGU (local government unit) has to spend an estimated P600,000 to P700,000 on their needs,” said Edna Lhou Masicampo, city public information officer-designate.
The Kanlaon eruption also caused P763,923 in damage to the agriculture sector in Negros Occidental, affecting 78 hectares of rice, high value crops, and corn.
The Office of the Civil Defense warned of potential lahar hazard flow from Kanlaon volcano, which may endanger 644,487 residents in 13 cities and municipalities on Negros Island, as rains started falling on areas of the volcano.
With a potential low pressure area expected in the coming weeks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned of the increased risk of ashfall turning into lahar.*
