BACOLOD CITY – The Canlaon City government in Negros Oriental has allowed displaced families living outside the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone around Kanlaon Volcano to return to their homes with certain restrictions.
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development-6 assists Kanlaon Volcano evacuees in Canlaon City, Negros Occidental. (FB)
Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City public information officer, said that more than 300 families from 10 evacuation centers were allowed to go back to enable them to attend to their livelihood.
However, they are only permitted from 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Evacuees were initially allowed to return between 6 a.m. and 4 p.m. but Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas negotiated for an earlier time to accommodate farmers’ harvesting schedules.
Masicampo noted that most of the evacuees are farmers who need to harvest and sell their crops at the market.
She said that special consideration was also given to riders who need to travel out of the city to deliver parcels as they are permitted to stay past the 5 p.m. cutoff.
Evacuees allowed back into the danger zone are issued access passes for identification purposes in case a sudden evacuation is required.
“They are not allowed to stay overnight because we cannot predict when the volcano may erupt again,” Masicampo said.
Masicampo said that all actions are aligned with the mandate from the inter-agency task force and coordinated with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).
Canlaon City is currently housing 1,997 families or 6,361 individuals, with 1,351 families (4,337 people) inside evacuation centers and 646 families (2,024 people) living outside.
Masicampo said that some residents who voluntarily evacuated outside the danger zone, despite not being within the six-kilometer radius, were still accommodated, as long as the government has the resources to support their needs.