Photo courtesy of SALTA Canlaon Official Facebook
The Canlaon City government welcomed the disaster preparedness measures presented by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his fifth State of the Nation Address, saying the initiatives could improve the city’s response to future emergencies.
Canlaon City Public Information Officer-designate Seth Bariga said the proposed programs would help residents gain faster access to government assistance and strengthen local preparations for calamities.
The city has faced repeated disasters in recent years, including the unrest of Mt. Kanlaon and severe flooding caused by Super Typhoon Tino.
Bariga said the government had provided relief and rehabilitation support after the disasters, but Canlaon still needed additional infrastructure and long-term preparedness measures.
He noted that an Alert Level 4 declaration over Mt. Kanlaon could require the evacuation of the city’s entire population, creating an urgent need for larger and safer evacuation facilities.
The local government is constructing an evacuation center in Barangay Binalbagan, but officials said a bigger facility capable of sheltering all residents would still be necessary.
Bariga expressed hope that the government would build a disaster-resilient evacuation center in the city under the planned Ligtas Pinoy Centers program, which is intended to withstand powerful typhoons and earthquakes.
He also welcomed the administration’s move toward predictive disaster management through digital technology, saying reliable telecommunications and real-time weather information would help speed up emergency operations.
During Super Typhoon Tino in November 2025, communication lines in Canlaon were disrupted, delaying coordination with provincial and national agencies and slowing the delivery of assistance.
Bariga said stronger communications systems and more resilient infrastructure would improve the city’s ability to protect residents and respond to future disasters.