The Office of Civil Defense in Negros Occidental is eyeing the expansion of the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone to 10 kilometers, should rains result in the flow of lahar down the slopes of Kanlaon Volcano.
While the volcano straddles between Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental, most of the towns affected by lahar would be the towns of La Castella and La Carlota in Negros Occidental.
Kanlaon is still on Alert Level 3, indicating the presence of rising magma near its crater, and also signifying that the volcano may have a magmatic eruption at any time.
If the Permanent Danger Zone is expanded, there will be more evacuations from the affected barangays.
In Canlaon City alone, there are now more than 7,000 evacuees camped in nine evacuation centers, not counting those living with relatives.
But an analyst of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology & Seismology based in Canlaon City, by Benjamin Tanatan Jr., said should lahar flow down Kanlaon’s slopes, its path would be similar to the path of lahar flows last June 5, and thus, there would be no need to expand the Volcano’s danger zone.
Tanatan, however, said he would defer to the decision of the national office.
President Marcos Jr. has sent a check for P60 million to the City of Canlaon to help in its relief efforts, as officials of Negros Oriental are asking the President for help in declaring a State of Calamity for local government units affected by the recent eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
“This is another option being considered as Negros Oriental is in a unique situation where only Canlaon City is affected by the volcanic eruption, unlike Negros Occidental, which has declared a State of Calamity,” said Adrian Sedillo, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction & Management Office, on Tuesday.
By law, at least two or three LGUs must be affected before a provincial government can declare a state of calamity.
Without this declaration, Negros Oriental cannot utilize its quick response fund to provide financial aid to Canlaon City.
Sedillo cited a National Disaster Risk-Reduction & Management Council Memorandum Circular No. 60 which allows the President to declare a State of Calamity for a cluster of LGUs impacted by a disaster.
During recent meetings with the Office of Civil Defense from Regions 6 (Western Visayas), 7 (Central Visayas), and the Negros Island Region, Sedillo said the Governor and the Canlaon City Mayor formally raised the request for a Presidential declaration.
The concerns of the Negros Oriental PDRRM Council is now with the Office of the President, Sedillo added.
On Tuesday, OCD-7 Director Joel Sevilla Erestain met with Governor Sagarbarria and the PDRRMC to discuss the matter.
Sedillo said they asked the NDRRMC, through the three OCD directors, to endorse their request to the President.
Canlaon City’s QRF is nearly depleted, prompting the LGU to seek assistance from both the government and private sector to meet the needs of evacuees.
The Canlaon City local government, meanwhile, reported that it has completed the evacuation of over 7,000 residents from five villages within the six-km. Permanent Danger Zone surrounding the restive Mt. Kanlaon.
Edna Lhou Masicampo, Canlaon information officer-designate, reported that 2,211 families, comprising 7179 individuals, have been relocated as of Friday evening.
The affected barangays are Pula, Masulog, Linothangan, Malaiba, and Lumapao.
Masicampo confirmed that the evacuees will remain in these shelters until authorities declare it safe to return, amid the ongoing threat posed by the volcano’s unrest.
To support livelihoods, the LGU allows one adult male from each family to visit their farms and tend to livestock daily between early morning and 4 p.m. They are accounted for each day to ensure safety compliance.
Efforts are also underway to relocate farm animals from the danger zone.
Ten-wheeler trucks are expected to transport the livestock to the City’s auction market, and the Department of Agriculture barn, Masicampo added. (Alex Pal and Judy F. Partlow)
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Photo Caption: Presidential Assistant Sec. Antonio Lagdameo Jr. (in polo barong) presents to Gov. Chaco Sagarbarria a check of P30 million from the Office of the President to be used for the needs of more than 6,000 evacuees. Canlaon Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas (rightmost) also received another check of P30 million for the City’s local government efforts for the evacuees now holed out in nine evacuation centers in Canlaon since the Dec. 9 eruption of Kanlaon volcano. The turnover of checks was done in the presence of 2nd District Cong. Chiquiting Sagarbarria. (OCD photo)
