• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
More families affected by the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Occidental will be sent home ahead of the opening of classes on June 16.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said yesterday that the Department of Education has already told the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council that they need back the classrooms occupied by the evacuees.
“They are now finding ways to reduce the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the evacuation centers,” Lacson said, adding that those who decided to move in with their relatives will also be allowed to go home.
“We are also looking at that those who are residing along the road as maybe the next group to be allowed to return home,” he said.
Earlier, La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on said 257 evacuated families from the sitios of Barangays Yubo and Araal, whose homes are located outside the six-kilometer extended danger zone, are set to return home on June 13 as approved the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
In a report, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said 2,438 families, composed of 7,862 individuals, are staying in 24 evacuation centers while 3,793 families, or 12,207 persons are living with relatives or friends.
Alert Level 3 remains hoisted at Kanlaon Volcano, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which recorded seven volcanic quakes as of midnight of June 11. | GB
