By JEN BAYLON
The Office of Civil Defense in the Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) is still awaiting the contingency plan of the La Castellana municipal government for disaster response, particularly in the event of a major eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.
Despite previous presentations, OCD-NIR Regional Director Donato Sermeno III said La Castellana has yet to submit a finalized document outlining its preparedness measures.
OCD-NIR has been urging the municipality to finalize its plan to ensure effective evacuation strategies and emergency response measures.
Sermeno said the lack of a comprehensive contingency plan is a significant concern, as La Castellana is expected to be heavily impacted in case Kanlaon erupts.
In recent months, La Castellana has faced challenges due to Kanlaon volcanic activities, which have led to a state of calamity being declared in the area.
Last month, the affected local government units (LGUs) surrounding Kanlaon already submitted their respective contingency plans to OCD, including the evacuation of residents, in anticipation of a worst-case scenario at Kanlaon.
Sermeno also noted that La Castellana, along with other affected LGUs, such as the cities of La Carlota and Himamaylan in Negros Occidental, as well as Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, have not received additional funding for their quick response funds to support evacuees.
The requests from these LGUs remain unfulfilled, he said.
The ongoing situation at Kanlaon highlights the need for prompt action to address the vulnerabilities of communities near the volcano.
OCD data showed that if Alert Level 4 — covering a six- to four-kilometer danger zone — is declared at Kanlaon, a total of 8,139 families, composed of 30,258 individuals, in La Castellana will be affected.
In February, OCD in Western Visayas Director Raul Fernandez said they are trying to persuade La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan about her decision regarding the location of the evacuation centers in the town.
Mangilimutan had been pushing for the evacuation facility to be located in Barangay Nato, which is 16 kilometers from Kanlaon.
However, Fernandez said the land where the proposed facility is to be established is still being negotiated.
Earlier this month, La Castellana town had a contingency plan for the upcoming midterm elections in case Alert Level 4 is raised at Kanlaon, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in NIR said.
Comelec-NIR Director Lionel Marco Castillano said that they are allowed to set up polling centers in areas outside the 10-kilometer danger zone, but still within La Castellana.
Earlier, Castillano said Mangilimutan does not want to transfer affected residents to the tent city being put up in Himamaylan.
She wants them to evacuate to other barangays but only within the town.
Comelec-NIR also needs to establish its own contingency plans on where to set up polling centers for the May 12 midterm elections, as this will need funding and approval from the Comelec en banc./JB, WDJ