BACOLOD City – Several internally displaced persons (IDPs) in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, who previously left the evacuation center without authorization, have now returned.
This was confirmed yesterday by John de Asis, head of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
He reported that almost 70 percent of the 39 IDPs who left the La Castellana National High School (LCNHS) evacuation center have returned. The remaining evacuees are currently staying with relatives outside the 6-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ).
The IDPs in question are residents of Barangay Cabagna-an, among those displaced by the eruption of Mount Kanlaon in December 2024. They were part of the previously recorded 4,200 families temporarily housed across eight evacuation centers in the town.
La Castellana was the most heavily affected locality in the province. Neighboring areas such as the cities of Bago and La Carlota also continue to shelter evacuees in designated centers.
On July 7, the Regional Task Force Kanlaon, led by Donato Sermeno III, regional director of the Office of Civil Defense – Negros Island Region (OCD-NIR), conducted a meeting to address several issues, including the unauthorized decampment of IDPs in La Castellana.
Sermeno said that 28 of the 39 IDPs who left without permission have since returned to the evacuation center. He explained that the evacuees left due to poor living conditions at the center.
One of the key concerns raised during the meeting was the continued presence of residents within the 5.2-kilometer Permanent Extended Danger Zone (PEDZ), which remains off-limits to human activity, as advised by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).
Sermeno, however, clarified that final decisions rest with the local government units (LGUs) on whether to allow the return of evacuees to their homes within the danger zones.
On the part of the LGU, De Asis said, “Indi kami pwede ka-desisyon sang amon lang kay nabutang kami sa tunga-tunga”
Currently, De Asis said there are still 3,200 individuals, or around 1,000 families, staying in evacuation centers across La Castellana.
The meeting also tackled the proposed establishment of a permanent evacuation center or resettlement site in Barangay Talaptap, to be funded by the provincial government.
Other topics discussed included the LGUs’ request for additional funding from the national government and the finalization of the Kanlaon Recovery and Development Plan, targeted for completion by November./PN
