The local government of La Castellana has been urging the national government to provide a more permanent solution for Negrenses displaced by the rumbling Kanlaon Volcano, saying that some evacuees have been residing in schools for about an entire year.
Since the eruptions of Kanlaon in June, September and December last year, La Castellana has hosted the largest number of evacuees in Negros Occidental, with some 1,300 families or 4,200 evacuees staying in classrooms.
The situation is not sustainable as the local government needs to shell out hundreds of thousands of pesos a day just to feed them, said La Castellana Mayor Mhai Nicor.
“If you have 4,200 people in a day, even if you spend P100 per person on two meals, excluding the rice, we are spending P426,000 for that expense alone for food,” the mayor told reporters.
“If we will be utilizing the funds of the local government unit [LGU], the whole funds of the LGU would not suffice if ma-prolong pa ‘yung pagtira nung mga tao [sa evacuation center],” she said.
So far, the town has nearly depleted its P17.8 million calamity fund and its P5.8 million quick response fund, Nicor said, noting that only about P3 million is left of the sum after just four months this year.
“Very depleted na ‘yung budget ng LGU,” she said.
“It is very hard for us to explain to people because they thought na it is very easy for us to find the fund,” she added.
La Castellana has been pushing to have a permanent relocation site for locals living within the four-kilometer danger zone of the volcano.
“Hindi natin maide-deny na our LGU is just a small municipality. Ang IRA [internal revenue allotment] namin ay maliit lang, so hindi namin kayang bumili ng lupa para sa permanent relocation site,” the Mayor said.
“That’s why we are calling on the attention of the national government that we will provide the lot and the site development for those areas na lilipatan,” she said.
Nicor is also asking the national government to create a state-run farm in Mt. Kanlaon Natural Park so that displaced residents can have a more stable form of livelihood.
“I told them na instead of prolonged na nagbibigay tayo ng tulong sa loob, nagpapakain, maybe ipunin natin, ipambili ng mga lupa kung saan permanente na silang titira,” she said.
“We can make it a state managed farming for them para mayroon silang livelihood … instead of giving them cash assistance, bibigyan natin sila ng bahay and hindi na natin sila papabalikin sa taas,” she said.
“Ang lupa sa taas ang nag mamay-ari ay gobyerno so they can till the land.”
Vice President Sara Duterte agreed with Nicor’s suggestions after visiting an evacuation site in La Castellana on April 23.
“Ang sinasabi ng mga tao gusto na nilang umuwi kasi naaabala na nila ‘yung hanapbuhay nila, ‘yung pang araw araw nila,” the Vice President told reporters after touching base with some evacuees in La Castellana.
“Hindi din ideal na tulugan nang pangmatagal ang classroom,” she said.
“Nahihirapan din siya sa pagkain kasi libo libo ang pinapakain nila araw-araw sa evacuation centers. So sabi ko makakatulong kami sa bigas para mabigyan ng suporta ‘yung cooking community nila,” she said.
The La Castellana Mayor said she understands Duterte’s predicament at the moment.
“For now, hindi naman talaga siya makakagalaw dahil sa ngayon sa sitwasyon na very apparent naman na nag-iiringan ‘yung dalawang camp,” the mayor said, referring to the estranged partnership between the Philippines’ top two officials.
“Not only here in the Kanlaon Volcano, but in other areas facing challenges along the way.”
So far, authorities have yet to give a certain date when evacuees can return to their homes as the volcano continues to show signs of possible eruption and unrest. (ABS-CBN News)