• CHERYL G. CRUZ
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. advised La Carlota residents affected by the continuing Mount Kanlaon unrest to remain in evacuation centers for their own safety.
Marcos said that while he understands the sentiments of internally-displaced persons (IDPs), who want to return home already, there is still need to stay put since the eruption risk of the volcano remains.
“Kahit na alam namin na mahirap para sa inyo na maiwan dito sa mga evacuation center, kailangan na maiwan, na pagtiyagaan…,” he said in his speech at the distribution of some 646 family food packs (FFPs) from the Department of Social Welfare and Development to the 323 IDP families, or 1,111 individuals, in La Carlota Feb. 21.
Aside from the FFPs, Marcos and DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian also turned over cash assistance of P5,000 each per family under the Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation
“Kailangan magtiyaga at kailangan may kaunting pasensya tayo. Itong ginagawa namin ay para tiyakin na wala naman masaktan, wala naman maging casualty sa atin. Iyan po ang aming ginagawa,” the president told the IDPs.
Marcos assured that government help will continue as long as the IDPs need it. “Asahan na lang po ninyo na itong mga tulong na dinadala ng pamahalaan ay wala tigil po iyan hangga’t hindi niyo na kami kailangan. Hangga’t kailangan niyo kami, nandiyan po kami.”
Marcos visited the La Carlota City South Elementary School-II evacuation center, where 100 families, or 385 individuals, have been taking shelter since the Dec. 9 Kanlaon eruption.
Joining the President and Gatchalian in the aid distribution were other top government officials, as well as DSWD executives, including undersecretary for Disaster Response Management Group Diana Rose Cajipe, and DSWD Region 6 officials, led by director Arwin Razo, among others.
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, Vice Governor Jeffrey Ferrer, and La Carlota Mayor Rex Jalando-on thanked Marcos for the continuous assistance and care for residents affected by the volcano unrest.
After the aid distribution, Marcos presided over a situation briefing on the effects of the explosive eruption of Mount Kanlaon.
During the briefing, various government agencies present their disaster response efforts to mitigate the effects of the phreatic eruption of Kanlaon and other related local emergencies resulting from the eruption Dec. 9.
The volcano’s edifice remains inflated, suggesting magma accumulation beneath the surface that increases pressure and causes ground swelling, the Presidential Communications Office said, as per latest report from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.
Due to this intensified magmatic unrest, Alert Level 3 remains in effect for towns and cities situated within the six-kilometer Extended Danger Zone, and residents were urged to remain in evacuation centers to ensure their safety.
Furthermore, authorities have maintained a no-fly zone around the volcano and cautioned the public about potential hazards, including explosive eruptions, lava flows, ashfall, pyroclastic currents, rockfalls, and lahars during heavy rain. | CGC
