National and regional government agencies under the Task Force Kanlaon convened in Bacolod City to discuss coordinated efforts in addressing the ongoing Kanlaon Volcano crisis.
Spearheaded by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Monday’s meeting at the L’ Fisher Hotel served as a consultation-dialogue focused on the eruption’s impact on affected local government units (LGUs) across Negros Island.
DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan said that through the dialogue, they “aim to listen to the concerns from the ground and gauge the needed help.”
He said existing programs will be aligned for an integrated, complementary and responsive effort to address Kanlaon Volcano concerns.
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Disaster Response Management Bureau Director Maria Isabel Lanada emphasized the agency’s crucial role in disaster response efforts, particularly in relation to the Kanlaon Volcano eruption.
Lanada highlighted the DSWD’s key social welfare initiatives, placing emphasis on the agency’s achievements in disaster response and early recovery operations.
The consultation-dialogue was attended by local chief executives and representatives from the affected local government units (LGUs), including the municipalities of La Castellana, Moises Padilla, and Murcia, as well as the cities of La Carlota, Bago, and San Carlos in Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
Among the affected areas, La Castellana was the hardest hit, recording the highest number of internally displaced persons.
More than 3,000 residents from at least five barangays located within the six-kilometer extended danger zone remain in evacuation centers.
Kanlaon Volcano remains under Alert Level 3 since its explosive eruption last Dec. 9, indicating that “magmatic eruption has begun and may progress to further explosive eruptions.”
In April, President Marcos established the National Task Force Kanlaon to oversee and coordinate all government programs, activities, and projects aimed at mitigating the effects of volcanic activity and accelerating the recovery of affected communities.
The task force is chaired by the Department of National Defense, with the Office of Civil Defense serving as the secretariat responsible for providing technical, administrative, and operational support.
