• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Vice President Sara Duterte, who visited three evacuation centers April 23 and talked to Negros residents affected by the Mount Kanlaon eruption and continued restiveness, is fully supportive of permanent relocation sites for evacuees.
Duterte, who checked on the situation of internally-displaced persons (IDPs) at the evacuation camp at La Castellana National High School-Junior High in Barangay Cabagnaan, La Castellana, said it is not ideal for residents to stay for months in evac centers.
She said she is in support of the proposal of La Castellana Mayor Rhummyla Nicor-Mangilimutan to put up a permanent relocation site for IDPs in the municipality.
“Agree ako sa long-term plans ni mayor; it is not ideal that evacuees stay for four to six months in evac centers. Hindi dapat tumatagal sa evacuation centers,” Duterte told reporters.
She said that since the schools are normally used as evacuation centers, students are being displaced, aside from the health problems and hardships that IDPs experience while in temporary shelters.
Mangilimutan said there are seven evacuation centers in the town, with 1,300 families or 4,262 individuals.
The vice president said she will wait for the recommendation of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Mangilimutan’s proposal, and assured the IDPs that despite the limited budget, her office will continue to provide assistance, like rice and other relief goods.
In her visit to evacuation centers in La Castellana and La Carlota in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental yesterday, Duterte said that 2,514 IDP families received sacks of rice donated by a businessman from Bacolod.
Hygiene kits will also be provided to IDPs, aside from the bottled water, relief boxes, rice, and nonfood items, like facemasks, mats, and blankets, already released by the Office of the Vice President (OVP) starting when Mt. Kanlaon erupted in June last year.
The OVP also deployed its food truck to La Castellana evacuation centers, serving nearly 4,000 evacuees in two weeks; conducted medical mission to nearly 1,000 evacuees in three days in La Castellana and Canlaon City; and provided assistance to some IDPs under its Magnegosyo Ta Day (MTD) entrepreneurship program. | CGC
