By CESAR JOLITO III
Another batch of evacuees from the cities of Bago and La Carlota in Negros Occidental are set to return to their homes on Saturday, August 16, after eight months of staying in evacuation centers following the eruption threat of Kanlaon Volcano.
Office of Civil Defense in Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) Director Donato Sermeno III confirmed that only residents living within the six-kilometer extended danger zone will be allowed to return.
In Bago City, Dr. Merijine Ortizo, head of the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said a total of 22 families composed of 82 individuals from Barangay Ilijan will return home on Saturday.
The city government had earlier launched a bayanihan initiative for families whose homes were destroyed, providing P10,000 cash aid to help them restart.
“We will help them put up their new houses. Some government agencies have committed to join the bayanihan through an ‘adopt a home’ initiative,” Ortizo said.
The evacuees affected by Kanlaon’s unrest temporarily stayed at the Kapag-on Village in Barangay Napoles, set up by the city government.
In La Carlota City, the local government is finalizing the list of returnees to distribute roofing materials for house repairs.
La Carlota Mayor Jose Luis Jalandoni said 61 families, composed of 225 individuals, and residents of Sitio Guintubdan, Barangay Ara-al, returned home.
Meanwhile, at least 61 families from La Castellana remain in evacuation centers.
They, along with evacuees from Canlaon City in Negros Oriental who reside in the permanent danger zone (PDZ), are being prioritized for the national resettlement program.
Meanwhile, Sermeno said those within the PDZ will remain barred from going home, as the volcano is still under Alert Level 2.
“We cannot allow anyone to return to the PDZ. It remains hazardous, and no one should be staying inside that area,” Sermeno stressed.
Around 1,300 displaced families, or 4,000 persons who reside within the extended danger zone, have returned home since late July after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology lowered the status of Kanlaon Volcano to Alert Level 2 (moderate level of volcanic unrest) from Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest/high level of volcanic unrest).
Site
Authorities inspected a proposed permanent relocation site for evacuees in La Castellana who are not allowed to return to their homes within Kanlaon’s PDZ.
Irene Bel Ploteña, Provincial Disaster Management Program Division head, said the ocular inspection in La Castellana’s Barangay Talaptap on Thursday, August 14, aimed to evaluate the site’s viability, including its socioeconomic feasibility in compliance with standards.
The proposed site will provide a permanent, safe solution for households threatened by volcanic hazards while ensuring a livable environment, Ploteña added.
Joined by the Regional Inter-Agency Management Team, the composite team was composed of representatives from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the National Housing Authority, who inspected the proposed relocation site.
The team collaborated with the local government to assess the site./CJ, WDJ