Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Tuesday called on residents of La Castellana in Negros Occidental and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental to evacuate without delay, as these areas fall within Mount Kanlaon’s six-kilometer danger zone.
In an interview with the media, Teodoro estimated that around 54,000 people are residing in these areas. He added the ongoing evacuations are not preemptive but forced evacuations.
“This can no longer be considered preemptive [evacuation] but forced, but we are still talking with people to do this even if this is forced [evacuation]),” Teodoro said.
Teodoro, who also chairs the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), said Alert Level 3 would likely be maintained over Kanlaon. The higher alert level was declared after the volcano’s explosive eruption on Dec. 9.
The DND chief said they are “preparing for the worst” should the alert level status be hoisted to Level 4, which means that the danger zone radius could also increase to within 10 kilometers.
As of Tuesday, the NDRRMC Emergency Operations Center reported that 2,880 families from five municipalities and 17 barangays in Negros Occidental were evacuated due to ongoing emergencies.
The affected areas include La Castellana, Bago City, La Carlota City, Pontevedra, and Moises Padilla.