Senate Majority Leader Francis “Tol” Tolentino said on Friday, Jan. 10, that the Senate will prioritize four key bills when the regular session resumes amid a busy legislative agenda.

These include postponing the 2025 barangay elections, modernizing the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), approving the amended Baguio City Charter, and increasing the pension differentials for Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) employees.

Tolentino said that several local bills are lined up for second reading, while the proposed legislative agenda also includes the reorganization of the National Tax Research Center (NTRC), enhancement of the mining regime, and strengthening of the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The senator also emphasized the urgency of modernizing Phivolcs due to recent volcanic activities, including the eruptions of Kanlaon and Taal Volcanoes. He highlighted the need for state-of-the-art forecasting equipment to protect better communities near these active volcanoes.

Relocating communities around NIR

Tolentino said that it's time for the government to consider long-term plans to permanently relocate communities within the six-kilometer danger zone around Mt. Kanlaon in the Negros Island Region (NIR).

He said this in light of the continuous unrest being exhibited by the volcano, with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) not discounting the possibility of a hazardous eruption.

In an interview on his regular radio program “Usapang TOL,” Canlaon City Mayor Jose Cardenas shared that the cost to agriculture by Mt. Kanlaon’s continuous restiveness has reached nearly P1 billion.

Meanwhile, he said that the quick response funds being used by local government units (LGUs) to provide food and other needs for their affected constituents have already dried up.

“The assessed damage to agriculture has reached P948 million since June last year,” according to Cardenas, referring to the volcano's series of eruptions that started on June 3 last year, followed by a major eruption last December 9 that prompted the Alert Level 3 designation.

Under Alert Level 3, all communities within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) of the summit must remain evacuated due to the risk of volcanic hazards.

“It is difficult to place a timetable on a volcanic activity, which may last from several months to several years, compared to typhoons, floods, or fires, where authorities could at least make a projection on when the disaster would end and when the rehabilitation could begin,” noted Tolentino.

The senator agreed with Cardenas’ proposal for the national government to purchase a five-hectare area located well outside the danger zone, where residents of communities within the six-kilometer PDZ could be permanently relocated.

When it's safe, the relocated residents may still go back to their lands, which can be converted into an agricultural zone, explained the mayor.

“The national government should consider that proposal, since this would lift the burden off the LGUs, and help affected residents bring their daily routines and livelihoods back to normalcy,” the senator stated.

According to official reports, nearly 4,000 families composed of more than 15,000 individuals were evacuated from 15 barangays in Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, and La Castellana, Bago, and La Carlota cities in Negros Occidental. These communities are located within the six-kilometer PDZ.