Life under ash
An unexpected scene unfolds each day under the covered court of the evacuation center at the Macario Española Memorial School in Canlaon City.
At sunrise, mothers gather around a single extension cord, their rice cookers plugged in, as they cook for their families and share stories.
This makeshift community of strength is one of the many testaments to the resilience of the evacuees displaced by Mt. Kanlaon’s eruption on Dec. 9.
Among these women is Ruviley Castillo, 41, of Upper Linothangan, a barangay she describes as nestling at the foot of the volcano. A mother of four, Ruviley has called Canlaon City home since she moved there as a teenager with her parents, who came to tend a farm. She stayed behind when her family returned to Iloilo, marrying at 24, and starting a small buy-and-sell business with her husband.
Now, their business has come to a halt, as their creditors are also evacuees.
“This is the first time we’ve ever evacuated,” Ruviley shares. “It’s a strange feeling. You can hardly sleep.” Like many others, she struggles with the uncertainty of life away from home.
Nearby, 30-year-old Maricel Barte tends to her five children, the youngest only five months old. Originally from Balite, Kalibo, Aklan, Maricel and her family moved to Canlaon to farm on land near the volcano. She recalls being captivated by the scenic view of Mt. Kanlaon through their window, never imagining the danger it could bring.
“When the volcano erupted last June 3, the black smoke formed the shape of a man,” she says. “We were traumatized. I was pregnant then, and the fear was so overwhelming I thought I might give birth.”
Now, her four-year-old daughter, Kristel Kay, often asks, “Mama, when are we going home?”
For the children, even the sound of thunder triggers tears, a haunting reminder of the fiery explosions they had witnessed.
There are now over 7,179 evacuees comprising 2,211 families housed in nine schools-turned-evacuation centers in Canlaon City, including those staying with relatives in the City.
“We are slowly addressing and filling the gaps of the problems in the evacuation centers, such as water and comfort rooms,” said Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas.
He thanked donors for responding to their call for help in providing food for the evacuees, apart from the standard assistance from government.
“These donations have helped us address the needs of the evacuees, especially at this time of the year when the funds of the LGU are getting low,” the Mayor said.
The evacuation center offers safety, but challenges abound, and the evacuees face an uncertain future. Despite the hardship, there is a sense of camaraderie.
“The children seem happy here, in a new environment,” Maricel says. “But they don’t know where they are, or when we’ll return.”
For these families, life at the foot of Mt. Kanlaon has always been a delicate balance of beauty and danger. The lush fields and fertile soil have long provided sustenance, but the looming threat of eruption is a constant shadow.
As they wait for the day they can rebuild their lives, the mothers of Canlaon find strength in each other, their shared struggles, forging bonds that no eruption can break. (Alex Rey Pal)
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Photo Caption: Evacuees in one of Canlaon’s nine evacuation centers cook rice in the covered court, where the only working electrical outlet is located. (Photo by Alex Pal)
