• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Local government units affected by the December 9 eruption of Kanlaon volcano, whose disaster funds are now almost depleted, are seeking help from the national government to feed residents evacuated from the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone.
The local government units of La Castellana in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, have sounded the alarm over the depletion of their Quick Reaction Funds used to feed thousands of their affected residents.
While the provincial government of Negros Occidental has been exerting efforts to assist them, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said they are also banking on the national government, especially the Department of Social Welfare and Development, to continuously provide the affected LGUs with food packs.
“I hope we can continue to provide water and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking,” Lacson said, also noting a need for sanitary and sleeping kits.
They can either go directly to La Castellana or any other LGUs of their choice, the governor said.
As of Dec. 17, the Office of Civil Defense reported that the evacuation rate is now 99 percent, with 3,799 families, composed of 15,083 individuals having been evacuated from 15 barangays situated within the 6 kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ), of La Castellana, and the cities of Bago and La Carlota, as well as Canlaon City, in Negros Island.
La Castellana in Negros Occidental remains the most affected locality with 1,134 families or 5,670 persons affected by the eruption.
Asked if he will seek the help of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Lacson said he was told by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro that the latter will ask the help of the Chief Executive.
In the meantime, we do it ourselves, along with the donors, he added.
The Canlaon City government in Negros Oriental, which was placed under a state of calamity during the June 3 phreatic eruption of Kanlaon volcano, reported a 97.9 percent evacuation rate, with 1,719 families, comprising 5,530 persons, who were living inside the 6-kilometer PDZ, now staying in evacuation centers.
Edna Lou Masicampo, Canlaon City public information officer, disclosed that their disaster funds are now almost depleted, as they started using it during the first eruption of Kanlaon.
“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,” Masicampo added.
Mayor Nicholas Yulo disclosed on Monday that the Bago City government Quick Reaction Fund, estimated at P18 million, may last only until January next year.
While some civil society groups started sending out help to the internally displaced persons (IDPs), Lacson also called on the private sector to do their share by providing evacuees with drinking water and other basic needs.
Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon volcano. In the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded four ashing events which lasted from six minutes to 35 minutes, and logged 32 volcanic quakes.*
