In Dumaguete City, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) has put forward a proposal to declare Negros Oriental a state of calamity in response to the ongoing disturbances from Mt. Kanlaon. The decision came after a vote on Thursday, prompted by Vallehermoso’s recent declaration of a state of calamity, fulfilling the legal requirement of at least two local government units (LGUs) having made such a declaration. Canlaon City has been under a state of calamity since the eruption on June 3.
The PDRRMC’s resolution is now under review by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, with hopes for a prompt approval. Adrian Sedillo, the head of PDDRM, emphasized that a provincial state of calamity declaration would enable access to the quick response fund (QRF) for disaster relief efforts.
Canlaon City’s information officer-designate, Edna Lhou Masicampo, reported that the city’s QRF has been exhausted, and the PHP30 million aid from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is also diminishing rapidly.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas has been actively providing support, distributing food packs and PHP3,000 in cash to families displaced within the six-kilometer permanent danger zone (PDZ). Canlaon City Mayor Jose Chubasco Cardenas has requested that the DSWD extend assistance to evacuees staying with relatives.
As of December 26, 2024, the number of displaced individuals stands at 7,816 from 2,421 families, with 1,778 families housed in evacuation centers and 643 families finding shelter elsewhere. Meanwhile, residents outside the PDZ have been encouraged to return to their homes as the threat of a significant eruption has decreased.