The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has provided P131.515 million in various assistance to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Negros Island since the explosive eruption of Mt. Kanlaon last December 9.
Data of the DSWD Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center on Wednesday, April 9, showed that Negros Occidental has received P83.134 million in total assistance.
The recipient-local government units (LGUs) include La Castellana with P52.774 million; La Carlota City, P22.358 million; Bago City, P4.847 million; Murcia, P1.482 million; Pontevedra, P1.216 million; and San Carlos City, P456,530.
Canlaon City, the lone affected LGU in Negros Oriental, received a total of P48.38 million.
The P131.515-million aid provided by the DSWD is part of the P233.815 million total cost of humanitarian assistance distributed to the affected families, including those from the LGUs, P30.392 million; non-government organizations, P33.451 million; and other partners, P38.456 million.
Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest) after another explosive eruption on April 8, which means it “may be followed by similar short-lived explosive eruptions in the short term or even progress to lava eruptions that generate lava flows and lava fountaining activity,” according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Following Tuesday’s event, Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the DSWD is ready to dispatch family food packs (FFPs) and other needed aid to the affected families.
More than 250,000 boxes of FFPs were already prepositioned in the warehouses of DSWD Western Visayas and Central Visayas field offices ahead of the latest explosive eruption, he said.
“Apart from the more than 100,000 FFPs in Negros Island, we have over 2.5 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in other warehouses across the country which we can tap anytime for our relief response,” the DSWD chief said.
As of April 9, the number of IDPs staying in evacuation centers in Negros Occidental is 1,362 families or 4,264 persons in La Castellana; La Carlota City, 327 families or 1,127 persons; San Carlos City, 59 families or 205 persons; and Bago City, 22 families or 77 persons.
Canlaon City in Negros Oriental hosts 838 families or 2,643 individuals in various evacuation centers. (PNA)