BACOLOD CITY – Twenty-two families displaced by the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption of Kanlaon Volcano are set to move to the modernized bahay kubo or nipa hut in Barangay Napoles, Bago City, Negros Occidental next month.
THE Bago City government in Negros Occidental opened the Payag sang Kapag-on Village in Barangay Napoles on Feb. 21 to temporarily house 22 families displaced by the Kanlaon Volcano eruption. (Photo via Citybridge)
The city government inaugurated the Payag sang Kapag-on Village on Feb. 21 designed as a temporary relocation site for the city’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living within the six-kilometer Kanlaon Permanent Danger Zone.
The relocation site on a seven-hectare city property in Barangay Napoles features 50 fully constructed nipa huts for 22 families mostly from Purok Manukan in Barangay Ilijan currently staying at the Regional Evacuation Center.
Dr. Merijene Ortizo, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), said that these huts are equipped with electricity and portable toilets to provide privacy, natural ventilation, and promote a communal living space.
The nipa huts, which cost P50,000, including delivery and installation, each to build were chosen by the city over conventional modular tents as part of a more sustainable solution.
Ortizo thanked the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council which embraced the idea presented during a meeting on Jan. 6.
She also thanked the local government led by Mayor Nicholas Yulo and acknowledged the collaborative effort of people involved in the project.
Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), cited the initiative and assured continued support from the provincial government.
Pastor Sonny Boy Zaragosa led the blessing of the village. The province also provided Emergency Go Bags for the IDPs.