• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Malacañang has released a P50-million grant to the Negros Occidental provincial government for disaster response as local government units (LGUs) affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon are experiencing shortage in funds, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said Monday (Feb. 24).
“The P50 million is good for two months, assuming we maintain the same number of evacuees to feed,” he said.
As of Feb. 23, the Department of Social Welfare and Development reported that 1,766 families, composed of 5,657 persons, are occupying 14 evacuation centers, on top of the 2,105 families, comprising 6,789 individuals, outside of evacuation centers in Negros Occidental.
If Alert Level 4 would be declared, the P50- million fund allocation, mostly for food, may only last for two weeks since more families will be evacuated from the extended danger zone, Lacson said.
An additional 90,000 people may be evacuated if the alert is raised from Level 3 to 4, according to Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Administrator Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno.
In the past two months, Lacson said the province spent P40 million in feeding thousands of evacuees through the Capitol community kitchens.
Lacson said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is aware of the problems of the LGUs in securing funds.
During a meeting between Marcos and the mayors of the affected LGUs in La Carlota City on Feb. 21, Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas suggested that the affected evacuees should receive Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation every month.
La Carlota City Mayor Rex Jalando-on also suggested the use of the 20 percent Development Fund, which is usually allocated for infrastructure projects, to address the urgent needs of Kanlaon evacuees.
Since it was deemed not permissible, the Chief Executive proposed the idea of utilizing the Quick Response Fund instead.
In a statement issued by Malacanang, it said that Marcos sees the need to form a national task force composed of vital government agencies, along with the LGUs, to formulate a long-term redevelopment plan for communities affected by the eruption of Mt. Kanlaon.
During a situation briefing, Marcos emphasized the importance of further synergizing government responses and preparedness on natural disasters.
“Let’s decide what are the agencies that should be involved [in the task force]. And then sit down together with all the relevant agencies, and put together a plan,” the President said during the briefing.
He ordered the national task force to be led by the OCD and pushed for the building of permanent evacuation centers for displaced residents.
Such centers must be located outside the six-kilometer danger zone, he added. | GB
