BACOLOD City – The Bago City Government will hold a ceremonial turnover of bahay kubo (nipa hut) temporary shelters in Barangay Napoles, Bago City, Negros Occidental to residents affected by the Mt. Kanlaon eruption this week.
Dr. Merijene Ortizo, head of the Bago City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO), said a total of 50 nipa huts have been set up, prioritizing the 24 families or 51 individuals from the six-kilometer extended danger zone of the volcano who are currently staying in evacuation centers.
The remaining huts, he said, are reserved in case of further eruptions and increased evacuee numbers.
“This is only a ceremonial event, as the communal toilet and community kitchen at the temporary shelters are still being completed,” Artizo added.
In addition to evacuees, there are also huts for security personnel, the medical team, and the camp management team assisting the internally-displaced persons (IDPs).
Ortizo emphasized the strategic location of the area, noting that it is not only beyond the reach of lahar flow but also close to the City Agriculture Office’s demo farm, where the city government has planned livelihood programs for the evacuees.
The temporary shelter is located on a city government property near the temporary quarantine facility and Balay Silangan, which can accommodate more evacuees if needed.
The city government took the initiative to establish the bahay kubo village for its residents displaced by the eruption of Kanlaon. Each nipa hut costs P50,000.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported a significant eruption at Kanlaon on Saturday, February 15. This event was classified as a “significant ash emission” by Phivolcs.
The eruption lasted for eight minutes, based on seismic records, and produced a plume that rose 1,500 meters above the summit crater before drifting west-northwest.
Mt. Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 3, indicating ongoing magmatic unrest. This means that there could be more ash emissions or even short-lived explosive eruptions, which may pose life-threatening hazards.
Phivolcs has recommended that communities within a six-kilometer radius of the summit remain evacuated due to the danger of pyroclastic density currents (PDCs), ballistic projectiles, ashfall, rockfall, and other volcanic hazards. Local government units are urged to continue preparing for potential evacuations in the event of further escalation. (Watchmen Daily Journal)/PN
