By Xander Ledesma
Following the eruption of Mount Kanlaon on December 9, 2024, Canlaon City in Negros Oriental is appealing for national assistance as local resources dwindle. The eruption prompted the evacuation of residents within the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone, leading to over 4,000 individuals being housed in seven evacuation centers.
The city’s Quick Response Fund (QRF), initially set at PHP11 million, has been significantly reduced to PHP4.7 million due to the immediate response required after the eruption. With daily expenditures estimated between PHP600,000 to PHP700,000 to support evacuees, city officials are concerned about sustaining relief efforts.
To address the evacuees’ needs, the local government has established community kitchens and procured essential items such as diapers and milk formula, which are not included in standard family food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas has expressed hope for national government intervention, noting that the provincial government faces legal constraints in declaring a state of calamity.
In response to the eruption, the DSWD has extended over PHP4.39 million worth of resource augmentation to affected local government units in Negros Island.
Additionally, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that government aid to affected families has amounted to over PHP29 million, including family food packs, hygiene and sleeping kits, and modular tents.
Classes have resumed in all schools; however, students from the seven schools used as evacuation centers will shift to modular learning to accommodate the displaced families.
Mount Kanlaon, one of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes, erupted on December 9, 2024, prompting authorities to raise its status to Alert Level 3, indicating heightened volcanic unrest.
The eruption led to mass evacuations, with about 87,000 people being evacuated in Negros on December 10, 2024.