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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider Luzon devider Evacuees worry about life after Kanlaon simmers down

Evacuees worry about life after Kanlaon simmers down

Published Feb 21, 2025 01:28 pm

Evacuees in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental, are worried about how they will rebuild their lives when Kanlaon Volcano calms down.

MARCOS LA CARLOTA.jpg

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. addresses Kanlaon Volcano evacuees at the La Carlota City South Elementary School II during his visit to La Carlota City, Negros Occidental on Friday, Feb. 21. (Glazyl Masculino)

Fifty-nine-year-old evacuee Argelogen Magbanua from Barangay Ara-al said that his house was damaged by ashfall from the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption and subsequent ash emissions. 

He evacuated immediately to ensure his family’s safety, including his partially blind wife and three minor daughters. They are currently staying at La Carlota City South Elementary School II.

Magbanua’s main concern is their livelihood as their chickens, carabao, and banana trees were all destroyed. Other crops and vegetables were also damaged, making them impossible to harvest. 

“Tuman ka budlay (It’s very difficult),” he said, adding that he occasionally returns to their house to check what might still be salvaged to sell for survival, especially with a student in the family.

Magbanua is willing to return to their house because their livelihood is tied to the land. 

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. visited La Carlota City to lead the distribution of relief assistance on Friday, Feb. 21. Evacuees received 646 family food packs and P5,000 in financial aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

During his visit, the President reassured the 1,700 displaced families on Negros Island that the national government will continue to support them amid the ongoing threat from Kanlaon Volcano. 

He discussed plans to improve evacuation center facilities for greater comfort. “If we don’t know how long they’ll stay, we’ll create better facilities for the evacuees.”

Marcos encouraged everyone to pray that the volcano calms down and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to providing help as long as needed and praised the collaboration between local and national authorities to support evacuees.

Meanwhile, 59-year-old evacuee Edda Langote from Barangay Yubo expressed similar concerns but said they would be open to relocation if it helps them rebuild their lives. 

“It feels like going back to zero with no house or livelihood,” she said.

Langote and her family will use the assistance they received to repair their damaged house, but like others, their livelihood has been severely impacted. 

Nena Mondia, 55, of Barangay Yubo said that their livelihood and their house were damaged.

They hope the government will continue providing support and create programs to help them recover.

Despite the ongoing challenges, evacuees remain hopeful and resilient and trust that the situation will improve soon.

La Carlota City  has 323 internally displaced families, or 1,111 evacuees, spread across four evacuation centers: La Carlota City Evacuation Center, La Carlota City South Elementary School II, La Carlota City North Elementary School, and La Carlota City College-Cubay Campus.

They have been at the evacuation center for almost three months. The local government has not allowed them to return due to the risk of a major eruption.

Related Tags

Kanlaon Volcano Negros Occidental President Marcos La Carlota City
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