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1,850 La Castellana evacuees decamp, return to Cabagnaan

The evacuees were brought home on Negros Occidental provincial government buses.* photo courtesy of Provincial Administrator Rayfrado Diaz

Mayor Añejo Nicor confirmed that 586 families with 1,850 members, who had been living in evacuation centers in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, since December due to Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest, decamped on Sunday, July 13.

They returned to their homes near the highway beyond the 5.2-kilometer radius from the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano, Nicor said.

He said the decision to allow their return was made by the members of the Incident Management Team and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier recommended that communities within a 6-kilometer radius from the summit crater remain evacuated due to the danger posed by Kanlaon’s current unrest. The volcano remains under Alert Level 3.

Nicor said the evacuees from within the 5.2 kilometers, especially from the 4-kilometer danger zone, have not been allowed to go home.

Nicor reiterated that the town government has run out of funds to care for the evacuees.

Nicor on Friday, July 11, apealed for national government help as his town’s funds were already depleted from supporting over 3,000 evacuees.

While President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. approved the release of P48,521,00 for La Castellana in May, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has yet to download the funds.

Nicor said they had submitted the necessary documents to DBM twice but have not received any response.

Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the provincial government provided La Castellana with vehicles for the evacuees to return home on Sunday.

Vulnerable individuals, including senior citizens and children, will be transferred to two identified campsites within Barangay Cabagnaan on Monday as tents have not yet been set up, he said.

These sites are at Old Fabrica and the covered court in Barangay Cabagnaan.*

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