BACOLOD CITY – The provincial government of Negros Occidental has allocated about P15.3 million to two local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano for the development of permanent evacuation sites.
LACSON (FB)
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday, March 11, that the fund was drawn from the P50-million budget donated by the national government to aid individuals displaced by the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption.
Lacson said that P14 million was allotted for La Castellana and P1.3 million for Bago City.
“It’s for clearing and site development and improvement,” he added.
However, no other details were provided about these evacuation sites.
Last month, Bago City unveiled its Payag sang Kapag-on Village in Barangay Napoles, designed as a temporary relocation site for the city’s Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living within the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone.
The relocation site on a seven-hectare city property features 50 fully constructed modernized nipa huts for 22 families mostly from Purok Manukan in Barangay Ilijan.
The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) has urged La Castellana to present their contingency plan, which includes their proposed relocation sites for Kanlaon evacuees.
The agency also negotiated to consider the existing Himamaylan tent city as a solution for the possible spillover of evacuees in La Castellana should the situation escalates.
The tent city has only 395 family tents in Sitio Binging, Barangay 3, Himamaylan City.
La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said that their original contingency plan was to evacuate residents to this city as the tent city will not be enough to accommodate residents in case of a major eruption.
She added that if Kanlaon Volcano is raised to Alert Level 4, at least 10,000 families will be affected.
La Castellana was severely affected by the eruption, displacing thousands of residents, who are still in evacuation centers.
A significant portion of funds in La Castellana has been spent for Kanlaon.
Lacson said that they will also use the national assistance for the third round of food delivery through the community kitchens in evacuation centers.
“We are now tapping the P50 million from the national government for the third round of food assistance,” he said.
He added that they will also include rice subsidy which was previously being shouldered by the local government unit.
Lacson is hoping that they could resume the food delivery this week.
Community kitchens have been established at evacuation centers in Bago and La Carlota and La Castellana to serve evacuees, volunteers, and camp management teams with nutritious meals.
The province has spent its own money for the first two rounds of the community kitchens.
It has spent about P17 million serving about 10,000 evacuees from Dec. 24, 2024 to Jan. 6, 2025, followed by P13 million last month.
Lacson said that the remaining amount from the national aid will also be spent for food assistance.