Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator, has formally appealed to the local governments of Bago and La Castellana in Negros Occidental to urgently reconsider their decisions to allow evacuees from outside the current 6-kilometer extended danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano to go home.
In La Castellana 622 families with 1,969 members returned to their homes outside of the 6-kilometer Kanlaon danger zone as of Thursday, Jan 9, Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan said.
Although they were looking at allowing 4,000 of 6,734 evacuees in La Castellana go home, only half of the initial target have, Mangilimutan said on Sunday.
All of those who went home were from outside the 6-kilometer danger zone, she stressed on Sunday.
There were 461 evacuees in Bago City also from outside the danger zone who went home on Wednesday, Jan. 8, Dr. Merijene Ortizo, Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officer, said.
In light of the heightened volcanic activity at Kanlaon, “we must take anticipatory actions to prepare for the worst-case scenario of a more violent eruption. Achieving zero casualties is our utmost priority,” Nepomuceno said.
“We are constrained to sound the alarm and urge local officials to reassess this decision. The safety of our citizens must come first,” he said.
Nepomuceno stressed that “lives are far more important than properties and livelihoods.”
“I appeal to all residents, even those outside the six-kilometer extended danger zone, to take this situation seriously and evacuate immediately. We want no casualties in the event of an eruption”, he said.
“No responders will attempt to get inside the danger zones to execute rescue operations should an eruption occur. It is crucial for everyone’s safety to evacuate immediately,” he said.
The OCD remains committed to providing continuous support and assistance to those affected by the extended evacuation, he added.*