Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro said he will help La Castellana town in Negros Occidental find alternative funding sources to support its remaining 2,000 evacuees.
This assurance was given during a pre-disaster risk assessment meeting held via Zoom on Thursday, Donato Sermeno III, head of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Negros Island Region, said.
La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor had earlier said that the municipal government had exhausted its funds for the evacuees who had been displaced by Kanlaon Volcano’s unrest since December.
On July 13 the local government allowed 1,850 evacuees to return to their homes located near the highway, outside the 5.2-kilometer radius from the summit crater of Kanlaon Volcano.
While acknowledging that human activity within the 6-kilometer radius of the volcano is not advisable, Sermeno said that the OCD respects the local government’s decision.
Sermeno said Teodoro requested data on La Castellana’s financial needs to facilitate the search for the necessary funds.*