• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Some of the families of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, who left the evacuation center without permission on June 30, have been persuaded to return, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head John de Asis said on Wednesday (July 2).
Thirty-seven families, composed of about 100 individuals, abandoned the evacuation center because of difficulty in their living condition in the tent shelters and other related concerns.
De Asis said an initial eight families, composed of 24 individuals, were transported back to the evacuation center on Wednesday after being assured that the concerns and issues they had raised during a meeting will be addressed.
Based on the report of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office, three more families also agreed to return, he added.
Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Negros Island Region, said the IDPs will be not be forced to return to the evacuation center.
Still, he said they will further tighten the security in various entry points to the six- kilometer extended danger zone as Alert Level 3 remains hoisted over Kanlaon Volcano.
Among the concerns raised by the evacuees were poor shelter condition, non-provision of vehicles to transport students to schools, and lack of internet connectivity.
Sermeno said they are working with the OCD central office for the procurement of pre-fabricated shelters and already requested the Department of Information and Communications Technology to provide facilities and improve communication connectivity in the affected areas.
The IDPs in La Castellana have been occupying the evacuation centers for almost seven months now after the explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano last Dec. 9. | GB
