Concerned government agencies are aiding local government units (LGUs) in the ongoing decampment of remaining internally displaced persons (IDPs) following the downgrading of Mt. Kanlaon’s alert status to Level 2.
In an interview on Monday, Regional Director Donato Sermeno III of the Office of Civil Defense-Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR) reported that while some IDPs in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City, Negros Oriental, have begun returning home since last week, others remain in evacuation centers. He noted that several families in the cities of Bago and La Carlota have yet to return.
“The decampment continues,” Sermeno stated.
Data from the La Castellana Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office indicates that 61 families, or 213 individuals, are still residing in four evacuation centers.
The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) reported that personnel from the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health have been conducting site visits to evacuation centers since August 1.
“For those whose houses were damaged or lost, relocation efforts are currently underway. To support the transition, government trucks and other available vehicles have been mobilized to help transport evacuees and their belongings back to their communities,” the RDRRMC added.
Additionally, a restoration initiative is being planned to support the recovery and rebuilding of affected areas through collaborative efforts.
On July 29, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology lowered the status of Kanlaon Volcano to Alert Level 2 (moderate level of volcanic unrest) from Alert Level 3 (magmatic unrest/high level of volcanic unrest). This change prompted affected LGUs to prepare for the decampment of IDPs whose homes are located outside the four-kilometer permanent danger zone, where they had been staying in evacuation centers following a series of explosions in December last year.
