• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Internally displaced persons who can no longer return to their homes within the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano, have been assured of a relocation site and farm lots to cultivate in Barangay Talaptap, La Castellana, Negros Occidental.
Irene Bel Ploteña, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief, disclosed on Friday that the 8.6-hectare relocation site can accommodate 300 households.
Each household may also have farm lots to cultivate, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed earlier.
Data from the La Castellana Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office showed that there are still 61 families, or 213 individuals, staying in four evacuation centers.
On Thursday, the Negros Occidental provincial government deployed a composite team, composed of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), National Housing Authority (NHA), PDRRMO led by Ploteña, and representatives of the La Castellana municipal government, to conduct a site inspection of the proposed permanent relocation site for IDPs.
The visit, according to Ploteña, aims to evaluate the area viability, socio and economic feasibility, safety, accessibility, and standard compliance of the place for the Kanlaon Volcano residents living within the Permanent Danger Zone.
The project also intends to give affected households a permanent solution from the danger of volcanic hazards, while maintaining the welfare and livability of the community.
Ploteña said the transfer of the land title to the provincial government is underway, after the execution of the deed of sale.
The Negros Occidental provincial government is also eyeing the purchase of another 11 hectare property, to be used as another relocation site for IDPs in La Castellana.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology maintains that there should be no human activity within the six-kilometer extended danger zone.*
