• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The provincial government of Negros Occidental is tapping the P50-million financial assistance given by Malacañang to feed the Mt. Kanlaon evacuees and for the development of permanent evacuation sites in La Castellana town and Bago City.
Local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon have been asking for augmentation funds from the national government for the food requirements of the internally displaced persons (IDPs).
Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday (March 11) that they will start the third wave of feeding the IDPs through the community kitchens within the week using funds to be taken from the P50 million.
“This time, we included rice in the feeding,” Lacson said, noting that previously, the LGUs themselves provided the rice.
Lacson said that P14 million will be used for the site development of La Castellana permanent evacuation site while P1.3 million will be allotted for the improvement of the evacuation center in Bago City.
The remaining amount will be used to feed the evacuees.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that a total of 4,319 families, composed of 13,959 individuals, are staying inside and outside of evacuation centers in Negros Occidental as of March 11.
Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Negros Island Region, earlier said La Castellana and La Carlota City in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental have requested for financial aid from the national government with an endorsement from the OCD.
The IDPs, who are residents of communities within the six-kilometer danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano, have been staying inside and outside of evacuation centers for more than three months now, since the eruption on Dec. 9.
Lacson said that local officials of affected communities, especially La Castellana Mayor Alme Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan, have expressed their concerns on the depletion of the Quick Response Fund, noting that a substantial amount has already been spent in the first quarter of the year.
The provincial government hired some IDPs as job order workers to manage its community kitchens, particularly in La Castellana. | GB
