Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan of La Castellana, the town hardest hit by the latest eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in Negros Occidental asked groups and individuals to coordinate their donations with the municipal government.

“We follow protocols called the management of donations,” the mayor said in a statement yesterday.

Nicor-Mangilimutan issued the call following a report that at least 37 individuals staying in an evacuation center fell ill after consuming food given by a certain donor.

The mayor said those who want to donate, especially cooked food, must coordinate with the command center’s donation management team to avoid similar incidents.

“This is also for the LGU to acknowledge the donation. We need to ensure the health and well-being of our internally displaced persons [IDPs]. In times of calamity, we need to promote understanding and cooperation, and most of all, coordination for the smooth management of our evacuation camps,” she added.

The mayor said she was grateful for all the donations since food supplies and essential items are really needed by the IDPs.

Nicor-Mangilimutan also said all IDPs staying in evacuation centers are taken care of by the government, including the concerned national and regional line agencies, along with the congressional, provincial, municipal and barangay offices.

“I ask everyone to fervently pray for Mt. Kanlaon’s unrest to stop and for its status to return to normal,” the mayor said.

As of 11:00 a.m. yesterday, La Castellana had 5,670 evacuees or 1,134 families from within the extended six-kilometer danger zone, data from Regional Task Force Kanlaon showed.

These include residents of Barangay Biak na Bato, Cabagnaan, Mansalanao, Sag-ang, and Masulog staying in various evacuation centers.

After the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon on December 9, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised the volcano’s alert level to 3, indicating ongoing magmatic activity that could lead to further explosive eruptions. (PNA)