Families displaced by the restive Mt. Kanlaon have received a total of P5.1 million in cash relief assistance to help them have something for the Chistmas holidays, a social welfare official said Tuesday.

Shalaine Marie Lucero, regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas, said 1,729 internally displaced families (IDFs) were affected by the Mt. Kanlaon eruption in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental province were given relief aid under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations.

She said each family received cash assistance of P3,000, an amount that is part of the agency’s heightened response to the families affected by the volcano’s eruption.

“We want to reassure all the IDFs, currently taking shelter in the different evacuation centers, that the DSWD and the city government of Canlaon are with you during these trying times,” she said, adding that the department is committed to go above and beyond the commitment of “ensuring that no one is left behind.”

Fernando Bestoir, 62, one of the evacuees at the Macario Elementary Memorial School, said he will use the cash assistance for the holidays.

“We will use the money we received to buy medicine for us because I have a cough right now. We will also buy food for our trip home. Christmas is almost here, so we will use this to help our family prepare for the celebration and to save up. This is a big help for our family,” he said. (PNA)