Entry within 6-km Kanlaon danger zone OK’d for farming-related activities

Posted by siteadmin
January 21, 2025
Posted in TOP STORIES
Border control points around Kanlaon Volcano’s permanent danger zone are manned round the clock to ensure the safety and quick extraction of authorized internally displaced individuals in the event of an explosive eruption. (PIA photo)
Border control points around Kanlaon Volcano’s permanent danger zone are manned round the clock to ensure the safety and quick extraction of authorized internally displaced individuals in the event of an explosive eruption. (PIA photo)

The Western Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell (RIACC) has allowed a limited re-entry into the four- to six-kilometer extended danger zone (EDZ) of Kanlaon Volcano.

This move will allow one person per family to perform farming and other essential activities back home, such as checking of properties and feeding of the remaining livestock and poultry.

According to Memorandum No. 4 of the Regional Inter-Agency Coordinating Cell (RIACC), only internally displaced individuals (IDPs) with the necessary access pass and proof of identification are allowed beginning 6:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. only.

Outside these hours, no human activity may be conducted within the EDZ.

Border control points are manned round the clock and law enforcers are keen to implement the resolution.

To ensure the safety and quick extraction of authorized IDPs in the event of an explosive eruption, pick-up points in various areas have been established.

Meanwhile, according to local authorities, some farmers in La Castellana request to adjust the time of entry from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. to be able to start and also finish early, avoiding the extreme heat in broad daylight.

For his part, Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas (OCD-6) director and RIACC chairperson Raul Fernandez pleaded for the IDPs’ understanding of their prolonged stay in evacuation centers.

“We ask for your understanding with everything going on. We do not have much choice. We are still under threat. There is great risk if we send you home. All we ask is your cooperation. Understanding and cooperation. What we are doing is for your safety,” said Fernandez.

Fernandez then assured that the primary needs of the IDPs will be provided to guarantee their health and well-being amid this crisis.

While authorized residents can now briefly return to their homes and farms, officials reiterate that vigilance, preparedness and compliance with regulations lessen risks within the EDZ. (PIA-Negros Occidental)

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