• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The P50 million assistance from the Office of the President, given to the Negros Occidental provincial government will be utilized for the food of Kanlaon evacuees, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson disclosed on Friday.
As of January 17, the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that there are still 1,860 families, composed of 5,823 individuals, staying at 15 evacuation centers, and another 1,761 families, comprising 5,548 persons, that evacuated but chose to stay outside evacuation centers.
In a press briefing, Lacson said that internally displaced persons (IDPs) may stay longer at the evacuation centers due to continuing restiveness of the Kanlaon volcano.
The declaration of Alert Level 3 over Kanlaon volcano led to the evacuation of all residents living within its 6-kilometer extended danger zone.
In an advisory issued on January 17, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology recorded three more ash emission events that were 2 to 187 minutes long, and logged 17 volcanic earthquakes, including three volcanic tremors, at the volcano.
Based on a worst case scenario, the Office of the Civil Defense is looking into the evacuation of 100,000 people if Kanlaon volcano erupts again, Lacson said.
He added that the OCD would like to put up a tent city in Himamaylan City to accommodate the spillover of evacuees.
But it does not mean, we would like to move our IDPs as soon as possible, Lacson said, stressing also that Kanlaon volcano is still on Alert Level 3, and those who live within the six kilometer danger zone are still staying in evacuation centers.
The evacuees living outside the danger zone were allowed to go home by their respective local government units, due to insufficient resources to keep them at the evacuation centers, the governor admitted.
Lacson however said that those who returned home are willing to evacuate again if there is a need.
While they were content with the food they received at the evacuation centers, there is also the loss of livelihood to consider, which is very important for them, he added.
La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan admitted that they cannot afford to take care of all of their evacuees if Alert Level 4 were declared over Kanlaon volcano.
Lacson said Mayor Mangilimutan has not yet signed a memorandum of agreement with Himamaylan City, where evacuees from La Castellana are to be housed in a tent city, due to the lack of clear guidelines on who will take care of them.
While the DSWD extended food packs to the evacuees, Manngilimutan said it is only good for breakfast, as it is the LGUs that take charge of their lunch and dinner.*
