The Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) is working with the local government unit (LGU) of La Castellana in Negros Occidental to address the continuing concerns of internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
OCD-NIR Director Donato Sermeno III met with Mayor Añejo Nicor on Tuesday, July 1, a day after 37 families from Barangay Cabagna-an left the evacuation center at La Castellana National High School (LCNHS) – Senior High School and returned to their homes within the extended six-kilometer extended danger zone on Monday without permission from authorities.
“Most of them were still back home, but three families have already returned to the evacuation camp. The LGU continues to convince them to return. Our way forward is to hold a dialogue to address their concerns,” Sermeno said in a telephone interview.
He said the OCD also has an ongoing procurement of pre-fabricated emergency shelters to alleviate the living condition of the IDPs.
“On July 3, we will resume meeting with the central office to plan out how to implement this. Still, this is a temporary solution while we are crafting a comprehensive plan — the Kanlaon recovery and development plan,” he added.
The IDPs from Barangay Cabagna-an were previously staying at La Castellana Elementary School and were transferred to the tent shelters at LCNHS-Senior High School when classes opened June 16.
Sermeno said they were supposed to stay for only 10 days while the other site near Barangay Cabagna-an, where they stay temporarily, was being prepared.
“However, the plan did not push through because a problem came up regarding lot ownership. With this, the IDPs were even more frustrated as they got tired of moving from one place to another,” he said.
The OCD-NIR official acknowledged the living conditions in the tent shelters were not ideal because the IDPs were hastily transferred and the rains posed additional problems.
“They are also concerned about the situation of their children going to school without transportation. The lack of connectivity in the evacuation site is a concern as well,” Sermeno said.
Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island remains under Alert Level 3 since its explosive eruption on December 9, 2025, indicating that “magmatic eruption has begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions.” (PNA)