BACOLOD CITY – After eight months of staying in evacuation centers, 471 families or 1,548 individuals residing outside the four-kilometer danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano in La Castellana, Negros Occidental have returned home on Aug. 1, Mayor Añejo Nicor said.

This follows the recent downgrading of the alert status of Kanlaon Volcano from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2 after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology observed fewer frequent volcanic earthquake activity, decreased volcanic gas emitted by subsurface magma, and ground deformation cycles.

“They were happy,” Nicor said, adding that the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were enthusiastic to return home. They have been staying in evacuation centers since the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption.

Nicor said that all concerned agencies helped transport the IDPs back home to ensure their safety. He added that the evacuees were also given food.

These IDPs were from the covered courts of Barangays Masulog, Cabagna-an, Mansalanao, and Biak na Bato, Old Fabrica covered court, and Cabacungan National High School Annex.

However, Nicor said 27 families opted to stay at the evacuation centers because of their houses by ashfall – five from Barangay Biak na Bato, 10 in Barangay Masulog, and 12 in Barangay Cabagna-an.

IDPs who remain within the four-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone are required to stay in the evacuation centers for their continued safety, pending further risk assessments and official guidance.

Last month, the local government also allowed 800 families in Barangay Cabagna-an to return home, following their unauthorized departure from evacuation centers.

This decision was due to financial constraints in sustaining their needs at the evacuation sites, but the barangay has been tasked to monitor their situation and alert them in case of escalation from the volcano.

Nicor said that the local government still committed to aid the affected families, despite allowing them to go home. But the assistance would depend on the availability of resources, given the financial constraint the volcanic activities had caused to the town.

In Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, 1,400 evacuees from Barangays Masulog, Pula, Malaiba, Lumapao, and some parts of Linuthangan, started returning home on July 31, following the alert status downgrade, according to Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas.

However, he said that some evacuees opted not to go home because they are more comfortable staying in tents.

But they were encouraged to go back to their houses to enable them to repair their homes damaged by volcanic activities.