Negros Occ. to move villagers away from Kanlaon
BACOLOD CITY—The Negros Occidental provincial government is negotiating to buy land in La Castellana town and develop it as a permanent relocation site for residents living within the 6-kilometer danger zone of Mt. Kanlaon, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Tuesday.
Lacson led a technical working group meeting in Bacolod City on Monday to craft a comprehensive rehabilitation and recovery plan for areas affected by the unrest of Kanlaon Volcano.
‘Most logical thing’
The province is talking with a landowner to purchase an 8-hectare lot in Barangay Talaptap, which is near a school.
This new site can accommodate 200 families, providing space for their homes and farm lots, the governor said, adding that he hopes to finalize the land purchase this year. The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council will be tapped to develop the land and provide housing.
“We have to learn something from this calamity, and by securing them away from Mt. Kanlaon, I think is the most logical thing that we can do,” Lacson said.
