By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

With Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director and Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary Renato Solidum earlier suggesting Negros Occidental local government units near Mt. Kanlaon be prepared for any possibility, La Castellana Mayor Rhumyla Nicor-Mangilimutan said her municipality will need a “big budget” for such a project.

She noted, transportation to evacuate residents of the five barangays at the foot of the volcano to evacuation centers alone will require a significant budget. However, in terms of evacuation centers, the mayor said a memorandum of understanding has already been signed with local barangay officials and school administrators for public schools and barangay covered courts to serve as shelters.

In addition, a P7-million evacuation center in the town was recently completed, funded through the Department of the Interior and Local Government Bottom-up Budgeting program.

Despite the ongoing “abnormalities” observed at Mt. Kanlaon, Nicor-Mangilimutan said residents are continuing to live normally.

“Mt. Kanlaon is surrounded by other land terrain, such as hills and valleys, which serves as a natural block; unlike Mayon, in which ejected volcanic material would immediately go down to open terrain,” she explained.

The volcano has been under an “Alert Level 2” since November of last year due to ground deformations caused by magma underneath the volcano./DGB, WDJ