The provincial government of Negros Oriental is assisting the Canlaon City government in developing a permanent relocation site for evacuees threatened by the restive Mt. Kanlaon.
Adrian Sedillo, executive director of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said Monday, July 7, that Canlaon City recently acquired a property currently being developed for internally displaced persons (IDPs) affected by the volcanic eruption last year.
Sedillo said Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City information officer, who represented Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas, shared the information during a meeting in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental on Monday.
The five-hectare lot, worth P85 million, is in Barangay Binalbagan, Canlaon City, and is just 14 km. away from the volcano’s 6-km. permanent danger zone (PDZ), he said.
“The provincial government, headed by Gov. Manuel Sagarbarria, is helping with the ongoing site development through the infusion of heavy equipment in the resettlement area,” he added.
This is just the initial stage while other details such as housing, livelihood, and other sources of income are being tackled, Sedillo said.
In the meantime, the IDPs will still be allowed to return to their farms inside the PDZ within the prescribed window.
Sedillo, who represented Sagarbarria during the Joint Regional and National Task Force Kanlaon consultation/dialogue in Bacolod City, said the identification of permanent relocation and suitable evacuation sites is necessary due to the “prolonged and uncertain stay of IDPs at evacuation camps”.
Hundreds of residents in barangays within the PDZ in Canlaon City are still at evacuation centers since the Dec. 9, 2024 eruption of Mt. Kanlaon while others are staying with relatives.
With the opening of classes last month, those in the evacuation camps were moved to modular tents located on school campuses.
In Negros Occidental, a number of towns and cities in the PDZ are also looking for relocation sites due to the “open-ended” threat posed by Mt. Kanlaon, Sedillo said.*PNA