• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Residents from within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano may soon have a permanent place to stay, and maybe even farm lots.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Rafrando Diaz II disclosed that the provincial property is set to purchase an 8.6 hectare lot in Barangay Talaptap, La Castellana, for the relocation of residents from within the volcano danger zone.
Diaz said that Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson has already signed the deed of sale.
La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor said that there are 27 families who reside within the 4-kilometer permanent danger zone in the La Castellana barangays of Masulog, Biak-na-Bato, and Cabagna-an, who are still in the evacuation centers.
Diaz said the provincial government is now following up on the commitment of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to develop the land, which will cost about P210 million.
“We hope that the response will be very swift,” he said.
Diaz said half of the relocation site will be used by the relocated residents for farming.
If the property is not enough for the evacuees, there is an adjacent 11-hectare area that the provincial government could also purchase, he added.
After the downgrade of the Kanlaon unrest status to Alert Level 2, thousands of residents from outside of the 4-kilometer danger zone in La Castellana and La Carlota City in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, last week returned to their respective homes.
Following that development, Diaz said the provincial government will reduce its supplies of the community kitchen for evacuees, with the closure of the majority of evacuation centers.
The setup of community kitchens at evacuation centers in La Castellana, Bago City, and La Carlota City, is funded by the provincial government, with an allocation of P11.9 million for 30 days.
The Office of the President has also given P50 million to address the needs of evacuees.*
