The provincial government of Negros Oriental distributed cash assistance yesterday to more than a thousand families in Canlaon City displaced by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon in December.

Hilton Edrial, head of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, said about 1,200 families staying in evacuation centers and those living with relatives are covered in the second payout amounting to P5,000 each.

“This is the fulfillment of the promise of the governor following the December 9 volcanic eruption that the province will give financial aid to the internally displaced persons (IDPs) living within the four- to six-kilometer permanent danger zone [PDZ] of the volcano,” Edrial said in an interview.

The provincial government last week distributed the same amount of financial aid to 835 IDPs staying in evacuation centers.

Edrial said future payouts are set under the government’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations to families in evacuation camps or staying with relatives provided they live within the PDZ.

Residents living within the six-kilometer PDZ are still prohibited from returning to their homes as Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Mt. Kanlaon. (PNA)