By CESAR JOLITO III
Some internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest remain stranded in evacuation centers as their homes have been destroyed by the volcanic ashfall while decampment is steadily progressing.
“There are families who still refuse to go home because their houses have either been totally or partially destroyed,” Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Negros Island Region Director Donato Sermeno III said.
Sermeno said the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is currently finalizing an inventory of the IDPs’ damaged homes due to ashfall from Kanlaon’s unrest in previous months.
This will be used to determine who qualifies for financial support to aid in reconstruction and recovery.
The government continues to appeal for patience and cooperation from affected residents, assuring them that rehabilitation efforts are ongoing.
It has also coordinated a “bayanihan” effort involving these families and other community members to help rebuild their homes — an approach preferred over formal assistance from OCD, Sermeno added.
The decampment of IDPs is now ongoing in Negros Occidental’s La Castellana and Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City.
As of August 1, La Castellana still hosts 61 families, or 213 individuals, in its evacuation sites.
Sermeno added that evacuees in La Carlota City may be allowed to return within the week.
However, he noted that not all displaced residents are ready or able to return.
Still evacuated
In Bago City, nine families, out of the 22 families or 81 individuals who evacuated due to volcanic activity, have opted to remain in the center for the time being, citing the need for further home repairs or complete rebuilding.
Meanwhile, after months of displacement, 13 families sheltered in an evacuation center here will finally return to their homes in Barangays Ilijan and Manokan on Saturday, August 16, the city government said.
Bago Mayor Marina Javellana Yao, together with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, convened this week to finalize the decampment plan.
The city council also passed a resolution approving P10,000 in financial assistance per household to help affected residents rebuild and recover.
“Preparations are underway to ensure that returning families will have the support they need to start over,” Yao said, noting that assistance will include repair kits, food packs, student and farm support, and livelihood aid.
Earlier, 4,160 individuals, or 1,281 families, in La Castellana and the cities of La Carlota and Bago, as well as Negros Oriental’s Canlaon City, will now be permitted to return home following Kanlaon’s downgrade to Alert Level 2, signaling a general decline in volcanic activity after nearly seven months of heightened unrest.
Local government units have begun gradual repatriation efforts but are also instructed to maintain readiness in case volcanic activity escalates again.
Meanwhile, about 300 individuals composed of 103 families whose homes are located within the four-kilometer permanent danger zone must remain in evacuation centers.
Of the number, 45 families are from Canlaon City and 36 from La Castellana./CJ, WDJ