BACOLOD City – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) has completed the installation of 300 family tents in Sitio Binging, Barangay 3, Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental.
The “tent city”, approximately 67 kilometers away from the volcano’s summit, is now ready to provide shelter for evacuees from neighboring local government units should the alert level for Mount Kanlaon continue to rise, according to the OCD.
The 300 tents are part of a larger allocation of 1,350 tents delivered to Negros Occidental from the OCD Central Office earlier this year, with support from USAID Philippines through the World Food Programme. An additional 90 tents are reserved in case of damage.
The OCD however said that while the tent city is prepared, the installation of essential utilities is currently underway to ensure a safe environment for families displaced by volcanic activity.
Among these crucial facilities are water system with two tanks, toilet with a bathroom, and functional roads for easy access.
Following an explosive eruption on December 9, 2024, local government units were advised to evacuate a 6-kilometer radius from the volcano’s summit and prepare for additional evacuations if necessary.
Currently, thousands of families remain sheltered in various evacuation centers across Bago City, La Carlota City, and La Castellana town.
Mt. Kanlaon remains Under Alert Level 3, indicating intensified magmatic unrest.
According to the OCD, if Alert Level 4 covering a six- to four-kilometer danger zone is declared, a total of 8,139 families, composed of 30,258 individuals, in La Castellana will be affected.
For its part, the La Castellana municipal government has yet to finalize and establish its evacuation contingency plans if Kanlaon suddenly erupts anew.
Following this, OCD Region 6 director Raul Fernandez said they are trying to persuade La Castellana’s Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan about her decision on the location of the evacuation centers.
The mayor had been pushing for the evacuation facility to be located in Barangay Nato, which is 16 kilometers away from the volcano.
However, Fernandez said the land where the proposed facility is to be established is still being negotiated./PN
