• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The additional funds requested by Kanlaon-affected local government units are now available, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed on Monday.
Ariel Nepomuceno, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), earlier confirmed that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved an additional P200 million in financial assistance for local government units (LGUs) in the Negros Island Region affected by the eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
“It’s now up to the LGU concerned to request for the funds and receive it,” Lacson said.
The total amount of financial assistance is pegged at P203,881,186, divided among four LGUs, according to OCD data.
Himamaylan City, which hosts the Tent City, will get the bulk of the assistance at P62,539,736. La Carlota City will get P63,097,000, La Castellana P48,521,100, and P29,723,350 for Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
In a report, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said 2,438 families, composed of 7,862 individuals, are staying in 24 evacuation centers, while 3,793 families, or 12,207 persons, are living with relatives or friends.
Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) remains hoisted over Kanlaon Volcano, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.*
