The Negros Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has approved the release of P42 million as cash assistance to the Canlaon City government to help the city maintain the operations of their evacuation centers.
Myles Bejar, provincial legal officer, reported during the recent meeting at the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office that the amount is taken from the provincial government’s quick response funds (QRFs).
The Canlaon City government has requested additional funding support from the provincial government as the expenses for feeding the evacuees and operating the evacuation centers reach P1 million per day.
“There is so much expense in providing for the needs of the constituents of the city, who are also the constituents of Negros Oriental,” Bejar said.
Canlaon City is one of the local government units surrounding Mt. Kanlaon, which continues to exhibit volcanic activity since December 9, 2024.
There are 859 households or 2,737 families temporarily staying in the city’s eight evacuation centers as of March 26, said Canlaon City public information officer Edna Lhou Masicampo.
There are also 1,019 families or 3,273 individuals from the barangays within the four- to six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ) of the volcano who are temporarily staying with their relatives in Canlaon City.
The evacuees were from Barangays Masulog, Lumapao, Pula, Malaiba, and Linothangan.
Masicampo also disclosed that the city government had already exhausted its reserved QRF of P13,005,230 and is relying on a trust fund to keep up the operations of their camps.
All the funds donated by various agencies or organizations to the city government are deposited in the trust fund.
The provincial government of Bohol donated P500,000 to Canlaon City on March 24, while Toledo City in Cebu also gave P2 million as cash assistance to the city government.
“We have received a total of P35,987,927.69 in cash donations, and we have already spent most of the money. The remaining balance in our trust fund is now at P297,906.70, but we have pending payables amounting to P1.3 million,” Masicampo said.
Masicampo said the city government spends most of the money on food for the evacuees, light bulb replacements in classrooms serving as temporary shelters for evacuees, septic tank siphoning in public schools used as evacuation centers, and payment of utilities like water and electricity.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has placed Mt. Kanlaon under Alert Level 3, which means there is a high level of volcanic unrest. (PIA-7 Negros Oriental)