The Bago City government inaugurated Feb. 21 the Payag sang Kapag-on Village, which will serve as a temporary relocation site for the city’s internally-displaced persons (IDPs) residing within the six-kilometer expanded danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano.
The village is located at the seven-hectare city government property in Barangay Napoles.
A first in the province, the city government provided modernized “bahay kubo” or nipa huts instead of conventional modular tents for the 22 affected families, most of them coming from Purok Manukan in Barangay Ilijan.
These structures were specifically designed to offer privacy, ensure natural ventilation, and foster a communal living environment, the city said.
Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, Dr. Merijene Ortizo, said the relocation site now features 50 fully constructed nipa huts, housing 22 IDP families.
It is equipped with electricity and portable toilets for the convenience of IDPs.
The IDPs currently staying at the Regional Evacuation Center are set to move into their designated bahay kubo in March this year.
Provincial DRRMO head Irene Bel Ploteña lauded the city government’s pioneering efforts in establishing the Payag sang Kapag-on Village, and assured continued support from the provincial government.
The province also provided emergency go bags to the IDPs.
The blessing was attended by councilors Jake Patrick Torres, Joy Matti, Carlos Mondia, and Ma. Femy Alvarez-Martir, along with some City Hall department heads, representatives from the Philippine National Police and Bureau of Fire Protection, and executive assistant Jom Somcio, among others. ||
