The Negros Occidental provincial government will issue guidelines on the utilization of the P50 million financial assistance from the Office of the President for families affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s explosive eruption.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II said they will come up with guidelines on how to use the assistance funds.
The period of fund utilization has to be taken into consideration, as it may have a time frame, Diaz said.
He added that the amount will be used for operations and emergency response, as well as other needs related to the eruption.
“This amount is special financial assistance for the province of Negros Occidental to be used to cater to and address the immediate needs affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano,” Diaz added.
The local government is also assessing how best to allocate this financial support to aid those impacted by the volcanic activity.
The provincial government is committed to ensuring that these resources are used effectively to support recovery efforts in the province.
The latest funding follows an earlier release of P30 million in aid to the Canlaon City government and the Negros Oriental provincial government, aimed at providing immediate relief to residents affected by the ongoing volcanic eruptions.
Diaz said local government units in Negros Occidental expressed satisfaction over the assistance from the provincial government.
The latest data from the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) showed 45,526 residents or 11,883 families in 32 barangays were affected by Kanlaon’s eruption on December 9.
Of the number, 14,186 people or 4,454 families were staying in 32 evacuation centers, while 6,953 individuals or 2,185 families were taking shelter outside temporary shelters.
Assistance worth P123,691,278 was provided to residents affected by Kanlaon’s activity in Western Visayas and Central Visayas, the OCD-6 said.
A state of calamity was declared in the entire province of Negros Occidental, as well as Canlaon City and Vallehermoso town in Negros Oriental.
Meanwhile, there is a likelihood of further eruptions and elevated sulfur dioxide emissions at Kanlaon, based on current assessments by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
The volcano continues to exhibit heightened unrest over the weekend, indicating intensified magmatic activity that could lead to a hazardous eruption within weeks or even days, Phivolcs said in a bulletin yesterday.
Kanlaon had 16 volcanic earthquakes in the past 24 hours, including six prolonged volcanic tremors lasting between 49 and 84 minutes.
These seismic activities signal the movement of magma beneath the surface, heightening concerns over a potential eruption.
Earlier, OCD-6 was preparing for the possible hoisting of Alert Level 4 over Kanlaon, as seismologists saw three potential scenarios amid the continuing volcanic activities.
Three scenarios might happen at the volcano under Alert Level 4, such as violent eruptions, lava flows or a rise in volcanic activities, according to Phivolcs.
Eruptions could likely lead to lava flows, based on their assessments and comparisons with other active volcanoes.
Kanlaon is currently at Alert Level 3, indicating that there is a high level of volcanic unrest.
Possible hazards from the volcano include sudden explosive eruption, lava flow or effusion, ashfall, pyroclastic density currents, and rockfall, as well as lahars, especially during heavy rains./ With Jen Baylon / WDJ