Kanlaon evacuees flee shelters, try to return to danger zone

TENT CITY This tents, dubbed as the "La Castellana Tent Evacuation Centers," is set up on June 16 as temporary shelters for residents of Barangay Cabagnaan, La Castellana, Negros Occidental evacuated from the danger zone of Kanlaon Volcano in December 2024 who have been living in public school grounds and have to be transferred out of school premises for the resumption in-person classes. —ARANGKA LA CASTELLANA/FACEBOOK

BACOLOD CITY—At least 89 individuals from 33 families left their evacuation camp in La Castellana town in Negros Occidental without permission on Monday to return to their to homes within the 6-kilometer expanded danger zone (EDZ) of Mt. Kanlaon despite strict prohibition order from the government, an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said.

OCD Negros Island Region Director Donato Sermeno III said the “escape” of the 33 families was instigated by another landowner within the danger zone, who was also believed to have provided the truck that took them to the EDZ.

These residents, who had been living in the town’s evacuation centers since Kanlaon Volcano erupted on Dec. 9, 2024 and were returning to their homes in Barangay Cabagnaan, were held at a checkpoint but were released when it was about to rain, he added.

Written explanation

The La Castellana municipal government and its Incident Management Team (IMT) ordered the person responsible for convincing the villagers to go back to the EDZ for a written explanation and appear before the village chief of Barangay Cabagnaan.

Entry to the EDZ has been prohibited as Kanlaon remained under alert level 3, which means that the volcano remains in a state of magmatic unrest, with chances of eruptions occurring that could generate life-threatening volcanic hazards, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) has warned.

However, there has been growing restiveness among the displaced families, who have been transferred out to the public school classrooms where they had been staying to give way to the resumption of in-person classes on June 16.

The evacuees were transferred to covered courts and tents.

John de Asis, La Castellana Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head, said it has been becoming difficult to convince the evacuees to remain in shelters.

La Castellana Mayor Añejo Nicor said he has convened an IMT emergency meeting on Monday to address the problem.

Clear plan

Negros Occidental Rep. Emilio Yulo III on Tuesday said government should come up with a clear plan for these internally displaced persons who were forced to abandon their homes and live in evacuation camps for nearly seven months.

Yulo said he was not surprised these 33 families escaped from their evacuation camps.

“They are physically tired, mentally disturbed, psychologically distressed and sexually deprived,” he said.

“If the crisis last for several years are we going to say they should abandon their livelihood?” Yulo asked.

He said these evacuees would not want to forever live in a tent city and abandon their means of livelihood because they are concerned about the future of their families.

For Yulo, a permanent relocation site for the evacuees would be the solution.