A team from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is validating and evaluating the proposed programs, activities, and projects (PAPs) under the Kanlaon Recovery and Development Plan (KRDP) in Negros Island this week.
Set from Oct. 27 to 30, the National Project Validation and Evaluation (NPVE) covers seven local government units (LGUs) affected by the series of explosive eruptions of Mt. Kanlaon since June 3, 2024.
In a statement on Tuesday, Office of Civil Defense – Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) Director Donato Sermeno III said the NPVE is an offshoot of the joint Regional Task Force – National Task Force (RTF-NTF) workshop and consultative meeting held in this city last month.
“During the meeting, the body agreed to conduct this NPVE to validate and assess the PAPs under the infrastructure sector as part of the finalization of the KRDP. We are conducting this meaningful activity to help the Kanlaon-affected communities recover, rebuild, and thrive once again,” he added.
The LGUs with proposed PAPs are the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, and Murcia, as well as the cities of Bago, La Carlota, and San Carlos in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon in Negros Oriental.
Through the KRDP, the national government aims to address the consequences of Kanlaon volcanic activities and further accelerate the recovery, redevelopment, and resilience-building of the affected communities.
According to the OCD-NIR, these responses are “in accordance with the policies and frameworks approved by the NDRRMC as prompted by the Office of the President Administrative Order No. 32 dated April 24, 2025, which also mandates the creation of the NTF Kanlaon to oversee and coordinate all government PAPs under the KRDP.”
The KRDP has five key areas of concern, including housing and resettlement, infrastructure, social welfare, livelihood and business development and governance.
The NPVE Team of the NDRRMC is composed of the OCD, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of Public Works and Highways.
They are validating and evaluating the prioritized infrastructure projects aimed at restoring essential services, enhancing resilience, and supporting socio-economic recovery in coordination with the RTF Kanlaon and the concerned local disaster risk reduction and management councils and offices to ensure that the proposed infrastructure projects are technically sound, contextually appropriate, and aligned with the KRDP framework.
Mt. Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 2, which means entry within the 4-km. permanent danger zone is prohibited, and residents within the area must remain evacuated.
Since June last year, Mt. Kanlaon has recorded five explosive eruptions, the latest of which was on Oct. 24.*