By JEN BAYLON

The Office of Civil Defense in Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) is currently finalizing necessary paperwork to officially establish its office in Bacolod City.

OCD-NIR Regional Director Donato Sermeno III confirmed that they are in the process of securing a contract for a building near the Bacolod City Government Center, aimed at developing OCD’s operational base.

Sermeno stated that once fully operational by February 18, OCD-NIR will initially deploy three staff members.

Plans are in place to hire additional contract service employees, who will eventually transition into plantilla positions, with announcements to be made via their social media platforms.

Furthermore, OCD is actively seeking land for a permanent office location.

It is considering offers from the cities of Himamaylan and La Carlota.

There are also discussions about potentially establishing satellite offices in Negros Oriental and Siquijor.

Memoranda of agreement 

Local government units in Negros Occidental signed memoranda of agreement (MOA) to coordinate disaster response efforts as the threat of an eruption from Kanlaon Volcano looms.

La Carlota and Silay City were the first to formalize their disaster response agreement on Tuesday, February 4.

The Silay City government also pledged support for evacuees in La Carlota should an eruption occur. Meanwhile, discussions are ongoing between Himamaylan City and La Castellana town to finalize their MOA.

Sermeno emphasized the need for additional assistance if the alert level escalates further.

He said the Department of Social Welfare and Development is currently overseeing camp management in La Castellana, La Carlota and Bago City.

Currently, over 130 tents have been established in a temporary shelter in Himamaylan, with plans to expand this capacity to 500 as necessary./JB, WDJ