By JEN BAYLON

The funding for the operation of community kitchens for evacuees of Kanlaon Volcano’s explosive eruption will be sourced from Malacañang’s P50 million grant.

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson confirmed that community kitchens, which provide meals to evacuees affected by the ongoing volcanic unrest, will continue operations until May of this year using the donation.

Lacson explained that the third wave of community kitchen operations, scheduled to end on Sunday, April 13, will pause briefly before resuming next week.

The first and second waves of feeding programs were funded by the remaining provincial budget from 2024, while the third and fourth waves will utilize Malacañang’s donation.

Lacson clarified that in May, the funding for community kitchens will shift to the 2025 provincial budget to ensure continued support for evacuees.

This phased approach highlights the province’s commitment to sustaining vital services amidst the challenges posed by Kanlaon’s volcanic activity.

The community kitchens, established in evacuation centers across Negros Occidental, have been instrumental in providing nutritious meals to thousands of evacuees, camp managers, volunteers, and peacekeepers.

During the first two rounds of operations, approximately P17 million was spent serving over 10,000 evacuees from December 24, 2024 and January 6, 2025, followed by P13 million in February.

The third wave now includes rice subsidies as part of the feeding program.

Meanwhile, local government units (LGUs) have distributed over P11 million worth of assistance, and more than P14 million in aid has been provided by non-government organizations and other stakeholders.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) earlier reported that more than P157 million in assistance and funds have been allocated in case LGUs need them for families affected by the recent eruption.

The assistance includes 147,701 family food packs, 27,864 non-food items that are prepositioned, and P3 million in standby funds.

More than P67 million worth of assistance has been distributed by DSWD to seven towns and cities in Negros Occidental.

Affected

The continuing volcanic activity has affected more than 12,000 families in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.

Currently, 1,766 families, or 5,657 individuals, have been displaced, while 2,553 families are staying with relatives or friends.

Four families were added to the total number of evacuees in La Carlota City, Claud Jan Marquez, focal person of the Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Communication, said.

They are from outside Kanlaon’s six-kilometer permanent danger zone.

Marquez said there are 127 families who evacuated and are currently staying with their relatives.

There are 14 evacuation centers located in the cities of Bago, La Carlota and San Carlos, as well as La Castellana.

Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3 due to high volcanic unrest, with experts warning of potential hazardous eruptions.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has recorded volcanic earthquakes and sulfur dioxide emissions from the volcano, prompting evacuations within a six-kilometer permanent danger zone. / JB, WDJ