Negros Occidental officials are confused over the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) appeal for the local governments of Bago City and La Castellana to urgently reconsider their decisions to allow evacuees from outside the current 6-kilometer expanded danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano to go home.
Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator, issued the appeal for them to reconsider on Sunday citing the possibility of another eruption at Kanlaon.
Bago City Mayor Nicholas Yulo and La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor Mangilimutan said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology and OCD advice was not to allow any human activity inside the 6-kilometer danger zone.
There has been no advisory of an expansion of the 6-kilometer danger zone, they pointed out.
In La Castellana 622 families with 1,969 members returned to their homes outside of the 6-kilometer Kanlaon danger zone on Thursday, Jan. 9, 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.
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.
Yulo said “I cannot understand now, are they saying that there are changes in their policy in so far as evacuation is concerned because the policy they gave us was for no human activity within the 6 kilometer radius.”
He said Bago is not bringing those living beyond the 6-kilometer danger zone back to the evacuation centers unless the danger zone is expanded.
“We are just following the policy recommended by Phivolcs,” Yulo said.
He said before sending the evacuees home they invited the Phivolcs to their Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council meeting to report on the situation and asked if it was okay for those living beyond the 6-kilometers to go home and they said yes.
“Now there is a conflict, they are trying to make a big thing about this, I’m not sure what is happening. They should clarify their policy in relation to evacuation, we are just following the guidelines,” he said.
There are very few Bago residents living within the 6-kilometer danger zone, he said, pointing out that 22 families with 50 members from that area remain in an evacuation center.
“We are in a dilemma, a quandary” over the OCD statement, he said.
Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the provincial government was abiding by directive not to allow residents to stay within the 6-kilometer danger zone.
The evacuees who went home were from outside the danger zone who voluntarily evacuated after the Dec. 9 eruption because of the direct effect of ash and sulfur, he said.
La Castellana currently has 4,427 evacuees, La Carlota – 1,120 and Bago – 50 in Negros Occidental, Diaz said.
There are 6,253 evacuees in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon City’s information officer-designate, said Monday.
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 on Sunday.
“I appeal to all residents, even those outside the 6-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.*